Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime
by RECKLESS SOLDIER-MS
Summary: Two galaxies isolated from one another meet for the first time, just as the war between two opposing factions escalates. But the galaxy has more than first contact with a race of machines to worry about, ideals will be tested as an ancient evil returns to begin a cycle of genocide. A leader from the ranks of the Autobots must rise to stop both the Decepticons and the Reapers.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Transformers or Mass Effect franchises

Hey guys, I don't have that many crossover fics and while I'm already working on a Mass Effect and Marvel crossover, I'm beginning to like this one more from the plans I have for it.

Basically this series will be like Mass Effect, a trilogy, it will follow a loose adaption of the Mass Effect universe but featuring some transformers lore and characters. Ultimately the main threat of the series will be related to the Transformers. As for the universe and characters, the main inspiration for Transformer designs came from the games War for and Fall of Cybertron. So when you are introduced to a character imagine their War For Cybertron look, or a WOC spin on their G1 designs. Or just imagine them as you've always wanted them to look :)

As for the universe, I'm trying to go with originality concerning the history of the Cybertron race though there will be inspiration from different series such as Prime, the Bay universe and the original cartoons including their Japanese spinoffs. I'm doing something slightly different in concern to the main Autobot we always want to see in a Transformers series, you might wonder from this first chapter and throughout the story where he is, but those people who know their Transformers know that he's there.

Anyway I hope you enjoy this first chapter, which is just a basic introduction to the universe and the first half of the Autobots arrival in the Mass Effect universe.

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 1: Personal Histories

The galaxy is a wide place, grander and more mysterious than anyone can imagine. The possibilities of life are near infinite, for every world produces their own sentient life and with their freedom they rise and accomplish wonders. Even the complex planet of Cybertron produced life, robotic organisms evolved in their forms and intellect and the great Cybertronian Empire was one that spanned the entire planet. They evolved, developed and became a near perfect society, every Cybertronian was created for a purpose, some were built to become warriors, others engineers, scientists and leaders, the Primes were the greatest of these leaders. For centuries Cybertron prospered and spread to the numerous moons of their solar system. But everything changed the day the mass relays were discovered.

Left behind by an unknown race, the mass effect relays utilised a technology that was foreign and inefficient to the people of Cybertron, the planet was self repairing and continued to produce the life blood of the Cybertron race, the mineral known as Energon. The Cybertronian high leader Vector Prime believed that the relays would be the beginning of a new age for Cybertron. But that age was not to be, for the Prothean Empire had other ideas. The Protheans were a galactic race that spanned millions of planets and life forms; all were forced to call themselves Prothean. But they did not wish to convert the people of Cybertron, they wished to destroy them out of fear of what a synthetic race would do to their empire.

Hundreds and thousands of Cybertronians were destroyed in the fighting and not even the society of warriors born could stop the relentless and unforgiving Prothean Empire. A hundred years passed and the war still continued, with the Prothean Empire gaining the advantage, they remarked that the Cybertronians were the most resilient race they had ever encountered. But like any race in the empire, they believed without shred of doubt that they would be victorious, that the Cybertronian's would welcome their intended purpose in Prothean society, destruction. However the tide of battle changed and the people of Cybertron found new hope in the form of two great leaders.

Sentinel Prime was one of the last surviving members of the Primes, though he commanded great respect, the people were ultimately inspired by the gladiator turned resistance leader Megatronnus. The army they built was magnificent, and at first no one believed that their group of security officers, racers and construction bots would accomplish as many victories as they did. In the end the Autobots claimed victory and drove back the Prothean forces. But the Prothean Empire would not allow Cybertron to exist, yet alone be known as the only world not to have fallen. A single Prothean science team corrupted the core of the planet, resulting in the corruption of its Energon reservoirs. Then the Prothean squadron retreated, destroying themselves and the Mass Relay, so that none could follow.

With only Sentinel Prime remaining from the council of elders, leadership of Cybertron was left in the hands of Megatronus and Sentinel. The people likened Megatronus to the former glory of the Fallen one and thus he took the name Megatron.

With Cybertron's natural resources depleted, Sentinel and Megatron rallied their people to seek a solution in the stars. Sentinel Prime took civilians and none combatants onto the Arc in order to find a solution amongst the wreckage of the mass relay network. Sentinel and Megatron however were divided by their beliefs, while Sentinel believed in combing uncharted worlds for Energon, Megatron believed that sacrifices had to be made, that like the Protheans they had to sacrifice other life forms if necessary. They argued and when they came to blows, the brotherhood and friendship they had formed shattered. Megatron left in fury, vowing to save his people no matter the cost. He formed his own army from the soldiers loyal to him and criminals both reformed and shackled to obey his will. From that day forward they were known as the Decepticons.

Millennia's past and the forces of the Decepticons and Autobots continued to battle one another over the fate of Cybertron and all other life in the galaxy.

* * *

><p>The much wider galaxy however followed the path of the extinct Protheans, presumably weak from their war with Cybertron, the Prothean empire fell and those that came after them still try to determine why it happened. One such scientist researching the Prothean's fall was Asari archaeologist Liara T'Soni.<p>

At the age of 106 she was considered a child by the standards of her Monogendered species. She sat alone at her dig sight, controlling the mechanised drones that carried out the daily digging operations. The drilling class Atlas mech moved out of her way as she examined her latest find. Her eyes widened with scientific wonder, for what she saw was a sight she hadn't seen in the fifty years since she had started studying Prothean history. She looked upon the carved image of a great battle, the Protheans fled before the presence of two giants whom stood side by side like brothers. Activating her holographic computer, the omni-tool, Liara began to contact the galactic council.

In the grand Citadel space station sat the council of races, consisting of Asari, the amphibious species known as Salarians and the avian/reptilian Turians. They were the three most powerful species in the galaxy and the most revered. But as it has been said before, the galaxy is wide and the possibility of life is endless. There were other species, Batarians, Raloi, Drell, Hanar, Quarians, Krogan and Vorcha and the newest additions to the galactic community humanity.

It was humanity that sought to become part of the council, and their first step was appointing a human Spectre. The Spectres were the hand of the council, operatives with the freedom to protect galactic stability at any cost. The main leaders of humanity, Representative Donnel Udina, Admiral Hackett and N7 leader David Anderson ran through their list of possible candidates.

"What about Shepard, Earthborn, but no record of her family," Udina said.

He bought up the image of the soldier, a young black haired woman with a stoic military gaze and lightly tanned skin.

"Doesn't have one, she grew up on the streets," Anderson said.

They cycled through her military history, a long list of N7 missions and near perfect military test scores. Hackett looked at a picture of Shepard with her fellow N7 operatives.

"She lost her whole unit on Akuze, she could have some serious emotional scars," Hackett said.

"Every soldier has scars, Shepard's a survivor!"

"Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?" Udina asked.

"That's the only kind of person who can protect it!"

* * *

><p>"I don't think that's entirely accurate sir!"<p>

Sentinel Prime was not the only Prime. There was another Prime equally valued amongst the Autobots, the captain of the autobot ship G2. Rodimus Prime stood as tall as Sentinel Prime, his metallic face watching his crewmembers with conflicted eyes. Behind him stood his lieutenant and former mentor, Autobot veteran Cup. They watched young Autobots pull open the energon filters of the generator and reload it with Energon crystals.

"Why don't you agree Cup?" Rodimus asked.

"You used to be more idealistic than this Rodimus, remember the days you wanted Megatron and Sentinel to ally to save Cybertron? That's why we saw potential in you lad, you were a thinker, but this is a very dangerous game, Sentinel wont like what you have planned," Cup explained.

"Space bridge technology is dwindling old friend, mass effect fields are the closest things we have to transportation units, our ships don't have nearly enough Energon to support thousand year flights, that was the mistake Sentinel made," Rodimus stated, looking out of the window of the ship.

He looked at the construction crew on the surface of the makeshift mass relay. The green and purple machines flew around the installation, adding cybertronian tech to the relay, in order to make up for the unusable wreckage left by the Protheans. Cup sighed and turned to the monitor station. He shook his head; Rodimus had ordered all squadrons to focus on either the mass relay reconstruction or data mining. One very specific team had chosen to disobey the order.

"Jetfire, prepare a shuttle, I'm heading for team Pax's location," Cup spoke into his built in communicator.

"Orion's team, don't be too harsh on them old bot, they're a good team and Orion's a good leader," the white and red aerial bot said.

The said team was located on a nearby asteroid, whilst the team leader and their medic were mining for information, the remainder of the team were all doing what they did best. Consisting mainly of bots of the scout class weight, the nimble members of the squad moved across the surface of the asteroid in their vehicle modes. The only member whom lacked a vehicle mode focused mainly on watching and commentating.

"Welcome to another incredible showing of Autobot rally where our contestants compete to see whose the biggest idiot on the field," the commentator was a red robot with a silver face and a yellow plate on his chest.

"Ha, there's no contest on whose the fastest here Blastar," a red cyber car said as it led the race.

"Focus more on inflating your tires over your ego Cliff Jumper," a yellow mini car suddenly dashed past the appropriately named Cliff Jumper.

"I'll take that as a challenge Bumblebee!"

"I thought this was a race," a pink and white robot sat next to Blastar.

"Just keep watching Arcee I'll be crossing the finish line first, after all the prize is a kiss," Cliff Jumper said.

"How's about I give you a kiss with my fist gear tosser," Arcee snarled.

"Hey easy sparklings, no need for the swearing, besides we all know whose going to win, I was racing the track since you bots were gleams in the matrix!"

"Oh and Cybertron's racing champion Jazz takes the lead, he's just near the finish line, wait Bumblee is gaining and…JAZZ WINS AGAIN!" Blaster yelled.

"YIPPEE-KI-YAY!" a hulking, red and silver armoured Autobot at the finish line pumped his fists.

The three racers turned into their forms one by one. Jazz resembled a rally car and had a visor over his eyes. Cliff Jumper and Bumblee both similarly had horns on their heads, but Cliff Jumper's armour was smoother and he was a few feet taller than Bumblebee. The scout sighed as Jazz bowed to Blasters imitated cheering. Blaster was their communications officer, Bumblebee, Jazz and Cliff Jumper were point men or scouts as they were commonly called, Arcee was a pure combat specialist and the biggest of the bots Ironhide was a weapons specialist.

"You know, this is technically going to be our final moments in Cybertronian space, do you guys know what that means?" Bumblebee asked.

"Yeah, whatever else is out there we're the ones making first contact, we're representing our entire species," Cliff laughed.

"Actually its Rodimus who will be representing us, any negotiations between species will go through him," Jazz said.

"Thank Primus cause if Cliff Jumper represented us we'd have a first contact war," Arcee said, causing Bumblebee to giggle and Cliff Jumper to frown.

"Ah'm hoping they're gonna be friendly cause the last thing we need is another enemy, between Megatron and Sentinel," Ironhide sighed.

"Rodimus believes in the path he's taking, Sentinel may not agree with it but he respects it, with any path we take there are going to be risks, we just have to believe in the people we've chosen to follow," Bumblebee explained.

"Ah thought the Major was the one with the speeches," Ironhide chuckled.

"You haven't been with the team as long as we have Jumper, Orion Pax chose to believe in Rodimus Prime, so we'll believe in him too," Jazz said.

A few miles away from the younger members of the team, their medic and their leader were both digging for materials. Working in separate caverns the two bots piloted tanks fitted with drills for tunnelling. The medic was a white and red robot with a silver headpiece; his form was appropriately based on an ambulance. He stopped his drill as he looked at a beacon on his HUD.

"Cup's hailing us Orion, we really need a new communications officer," Ratchet sighed.

The tank in the opposite chamber deactivated its drill and the pilot climbed out. He was a tall, thick armoured robot with blue armour and a red helmet with a grey plate over his mouth.

"There is something imbedded in the rock here Ratchet, I think Rodimus will be interested in seeing it," the robot said.

"Cup isn't going to be in a good mood Orion, we should hurry up and get back to the shuttle," Ratchet said.

"Just one moment Ratchet," Orion Major pulled a staff from his back, shaping it into an axe.

With a strong swing he picked at the rock, breaking pieces of it aside to reveal what his sensors had detected. By the standards of organic beings the object he found was large, but to a Cybertronian it was small, small enough to fit in the palm of Orion's hand. He yanked the object free of its makeshift pedestal and examined it with both his eyes and his energy sensors.

"What did you find Orion?" Ratchet asked.

"I recognise it from my days as a records clerk old friend, this is a Prothean data recorder," Orion said.

"Slag, its useless then," the medic sighed.

"No, while it's a common belief that these terminals were only capable of linking with organics, the information inside of them is still digitised, thus a simple hack of the lock will be enough to unlock its secrets," wires spread from Orion's fingers and connected to the Prothean device.

Green lines suddenly began to glow on the surface of the black obelisk. Orion froze as piles of information passed through his memory banks, becoming just as real as his own memories. He saw the small organics known as the Protheans, around the time Megatron rose to power. They were inside a ship of some kind, which shook no doubt because of the elite guards cannon fire. Both four-eyed creatures seemed to be panicking for a reason other than the pursuing Cybertronians.

"To think that the empire could be defeated so easily, where will we go? The Citadel?" one of the Protheans asked.

"No, the Citadel has been lost, we must blow the relay and rejoin the survivors," the superior officer stated.

"Survivors? Did the Metacon attack?"

"No, something else came from beyond dark space, we don't know what they are but the council has called them…"

Orion clutched his head as a series of incoherent images flashed before his sensors. He stored the corrupted data in his memory bank and stored the device in his equipment compartment.

"Lets return to the shuttle," he said.

He and Ratchet jumped off of the rocks, changing into their vehicle forms. They drove through the caverns, both slightly enjoying the sight of the small energon deposits they had found. In an age were fresh unrefined energon was raw the sight was appealing to the two Autobots. Though the Autobots were losing, both Orion and Ratchet held fast to the beliefs of the Primes. Orion himself had a strong moral core; even if Sentinel Prime himself ordered him to kill in cold blood he wouldn't do it. He drove ahead of Ratchet, dodging a rock at the last moment.

"Is something wrong Orion?" Ratchet noted his friend's absence.

"The information I found was corrupt, incomplete, I may be able to restore it but its current data troubles me, it implies that the Protheans didn't leave because of Megatron's counterattack," Orion explained.

"Do you mean that there was something besides us the Protheans fear?"

"I don't know my friend, what I do know is that something had come from dark space and it may be the very reason we have not had contact with the Protheans for fifty thousand years."

"True, our stasis cycles have gone uninterrupted, but something that was more frightening than the Prothean Empire…it seems a little farfetched," Ratchet chuckled slightly.

"I'm sure the Protheans felt the same thing about us and whatever was waiting for them beyond the relay," Orion sighed.

Orion and Ratchet transformed into their robot modes as they reached their shuttle. The younger members of their team soon followed, looking up at Cup's shuttle. Without speaking a word Orion motioned for the team to follow him into the shuttle. He and Jazz took positions at the piloting and auto piloting stations respectively. Blaster grinned sheepishly as Cup's hologram appeared at his communication station.

"Orion, what in the name of Primus was your crew doing?" Cup asked.

"I gave my crew permission to hone their combat skills sir, the responsibility for their behaviour is mine," Orion explained.

"HA! In my day we would have them at target practice, not racing around like sparklings fresh in their first bodies," Cup said.

"The racing assisted them with manoeuvres but I do admit they have been too caught up in the competitiveness of racing, I will accept a disciplinary but I must get information I have found to Rodimus and possibly Sentinel himself," the former record clerk explained.

"What information?" the combat veteran narrowed his eyes slightly.

"A Prothean data capsule left behind by their occupation forces, its incomplete but with time I may be able to decode it," Orion said.

"Negative Orion Major!"

The Autobots gasped as Rodimus's holographic form appeared beside Cup's.

"Once you have returned to base give the data to me, it may contain information we need once we have gone beyond the relay," the Autobot leader said.

"But with all due respect sir the capsule is incomplete, without knowing what it contains we will be making dangerous assumptions, until the data is complete we must prolong going through the relay," Orion explained.

"Your caution is noted Orion but I'm afraid we can no longer delay the launch, our allies are arriving," Rodimus said.

"Allies?"

The members of Orion's team widened their eyes as several jets flew past their shuttle. There were six in total, the leader was a white and red jet, the second had primarily blue colours across its armour whilst the second was black and purple. The other three jets were red, blue and grey and followed behind the first three. Orion's crewmembers watched them in fear, whilst the Autobots working on the surface of the mass relay looked up at the jets in horror. As soon as they saw the purple face symbols on the wings of the new arrivals they began to ready their weapons.

"All Autobots stand down, I repeat all Autobots stand down!" Rodimus's voice echoed through the radio channels.

The Autobots began muttering amongst themselves as five of the jets swung away from the leader. One by one the jets began to transform into their robot forms, landing amongst the Autobots like invited quests, calm yet rife with a smug superiority. Two of the Decepticons had identical bodies, but Skywarp and Thundercracker were both identified by their respective colours. The other three had the wings of their jet forms more apparent in their feet and had cone shaped heads, though not as well known Thrust, Dirge and Ramjet were just as deadly as their two superior ranked Seekers. Their commander, bearing the same body type as Skywarp and Thundercracker landed in the G2's docking bay, smirking as he looked at Jetfire.

"Starscream!" Jetfire growled.

"Is that anyway to welcome an old friend Jetfire?" the commander of the seeker squad asked, bearing a far greater sense of self-importance and arrogance than what his brethren had.

Jetfire narrowed his eyes and snarled as a heat blade extended from his wrist.

"Enough Jetfire!" Rodimus spoke sternly as he walked into the docking bay.

"Rodimus, what is the meaning of this?" Jetfire asked.

"A truce Jetfire, what Cybertron needs to survive, Starscream is here on Megatron's behalf," the Autobot leader planted his hand on Jetfire's shoulder, calming him slightly.

The docking bay doors opened and Orion's squad emerged from their shuttle, weapons armed and aimed Starscream. He raised his hands and scuffled back in fear, even falling to the ground as Orion stepped out of the shuttle bearing his massive path maker blaster. Cup soon emerged from the shuttle next to them looking just as bewildered as Jetfire had been.

"Commander…"

"WHY IS HE HERE!" Cup yelled, pointing his pistol at Starscream.

"Now, now l-lets not get h-hasty here," Starscream trembled.

Orion lowered his gun, causing his teammates to look at him in horror.

"What are you doing Orion?" Ratchet asked.

"Let Rodimus explain why Starscream is here before we pass judgement," Orion said.

The Autobots hesitantly followed Orion's example and lowered their weapons. Starscream lowered his hands and returned to his usual smug pose. He looked to Rodimus and bowed in mock respect. Rodimus exchanged a brief look with Orion, lowering his head slightly as Orion narrowed his eyes into a frown. Putting his hands behind his back, Rodimus walked out of the shuttle bay. Orion and Cup followed beside Starscream, the veteran made a point of glaring at the seeker as they followed their leader through the halls of the ship.

"We have energon to sustain us, but not nearly enough to restore a planet, Sentinel and Magnus would have us continue to wage a war to preserve our ideals or to claim revenge for those lost to us. But that is not the way, it will not save Cybertron and will only guarantee the destruction of both factions," the leader stated as he walked into the chamber of artefacts.

The chamber contained only a small amount of the artefacts that were the culture of the Cybertronian race. Rodimus's eyes passed over several pieces of broken tech before passing on an ancient wall carving. It portrayed the battle between the lance wielding Fallen one and the axe wielding Risen.

"Two shall clash, their ideals unwavering and sparks shining, one shall stand and rise a Prime, leader of our people, one shall fall to ruin!"

"The words of Primus, spoken in reference to his first children, Megatron and the first of the Primes," Orion identified the text that Rodimus had read.

"History has a habit of repeating itself, how long before we destroy ourselves with an unnecessary war?" Rodimus asked.

"I understand your words Rodimus," Orion said.

"Pax how could you, and how could you Rodimus, how many of our brothers have we lost, how many has Starscream alone killed?" Cup asked.

"I'd say about fifty," Starscream laughed.

"Peace should be made if it is at all possible, but if the Decepticons are willing Sentinel should be told so that we can negotiate," Orion explained.

"There is the problem Orion, Sentinel does not agree nor does Ultra Magnus, they are both stubborn, Magnus believes that Megatron must be destroyed and the Decepticons executed as war criminals, he would have us become as evil as he believes Megatron is, whilst Sentinel believes there is something in dark space worth finding, a miracle that will restore our world when the truth is we can only save our world by working together," Rodimus explained.

"A fine speech, Lord Megatron will certainly be willing to forgive any prior defiance to those whom surrender," Starscream said.

Cup and Orion walked to the cockpit of the ship and looked down in horror at the excavation sight. The seekers and construction drones revealed to be Decepticons themselves had begun tearing apart Autobots outside of the ship. Some of the Autobots however had changed their activation codes, converting the symbol of the red face into the purple colour of the Decepticons. In the mess hall, Orion's crew watched in horror at the sight of the Decepticons massacring their fellow Autobots. A door opened behind them and two Autobots stepped out, the security officer Prowl and the red weapons expert and guardian Warpath.

"Sorry bots, but we've been ordered by Rodimus to watch you," Warpath said, crossing his arms over the cannon on his chest.

"You keep apologising Warpath, the rest of you will go into a cell," Prowl said, he was always good at antagonising his fellow Autobots, it had made him a very unpopular ally.

"On what charge?" Ratchet demanded.

"Conspiring against the bearer of the matrix," Prowl said.

"Conspiring? We haven't conspired against anyone," Bumblee spoke up from behind Ironhide.

"Lets not get too hasty, we've got nothing to hide," Jazz said diplomatically.

"No way, we aren't going anywhere, we haven't done anything wrong, Prowl may be security officer but he has no right to detain any crewbot without sufficient cause," Arcee walked up to the taller Autobot, locking glares with the imposing bot without any show of fear.

"Wait, just explain to us why you're doing this," Blaster said.

Prowl palmed his face in frustration, Warpath however sighed and looked at Pax's team with a conflicted expression.

"Pax is an extremely popular member of the army, Rodimus was not the first recommended bearer for the matrix, Rodimus has a plan that will bring all factions together and to carry out that plan he can have no arguments against it," the guardian explained.

"Which means what? You'll execute us?" Arcee asked.

"No it means your team mates will be held in a cell indefinitely, you however Femmebot we might make an exception to," Prowl explained.

Arcee narrowed her eyes before she punched the taller bot across the face. Ratchet slapped his palm against his face whilst the younger Autobots laughed. As Prowl fell into Warpath's arms, nursing his jaw, Arcee rushed forward. Jazz however grabbed her by the arms, causing her to flail her legs at the security bot. Ratchet sighed, Arcee had more discipline in a combat scenario than her other young team mates but she was more defensive, she always rose to challenges. When she was a sparkling she had a very rude and disrespectful mouth. Fortunately her teacher was able to, figuratively speaking of course slap the sass out of her and replace it with military discipline. She still showed moments of passion however, such as in defending her teammates and the ideal that female Cybertronians were just as valuable as male ones.

"Now, now lets get not get too hasty here hit bot," Jazz said, using his affectionate nickname for Arcee.

"That's it, you six are going in a cell, Arcee I'll make sure you never hit another bot again," Prowl growled.

"ENOUGH!" Warpath yelled, knocking both Arcee and Prowl away from one another. "You are both warriors, start acting like it and until proven otherwise we will continue to regard Orion Pax as loyal to the cause as the rest of us!"

Prowl and Arcee turned away from one another, huffing. Arcee snarled at Cliff Jumper and Bumblebee, halting their laughter.

"I am getting far too old for this," Ratchet muttered.

Orion Pax squeezed his hands into fists as he watched the massacre of his Autobot brothers and sisters. He turned to Rodimus, making no attempt to hide his fury.

"Why Rodimus, WHY!" he yelled.

"There are too many Autobots stuck in the old ways Orion, you better than anyone know of the history of our race, of the destruction pointless wars of ideology have reaped. You were a simple records clerk when Megatron and I found you, you were invaluable in the war against the Protheans but a new war is coming, you are the best of us Orion, so much better…" Rodimus opened his chest cavity, revealing a orange orb with a glowing blue light at its centre. "So much better that the council recommended you bear the Matrix, yet you gave it to me…you saw greatness then Orion, believe in me now," Rodimus removed the device from his chest, holding it by the grey handles on its side.

"The Autobot Matrix of leadership," Starscream gasped, identifying the most powerful artefact of Cybertron, such a small device topped even the lost fortress and the star sabre because it possessed the collective wisdom of every Prime in the history of Cybertron.

Cup walked to Orion's side, showing the former record clerk his support.

"Please Orion, I'd rather you not be against me, think of your team, think of Cybertron," Rodimus said.

"I do think of Cybertron, I think of the peace we could create from first contact with the species outside of our galaxy…that is no peace craft the Decepticons have bought with them, I know you intend to go to war with the species beyond the relay and I can not and will not allow it to happen," Orion explained.

Rodimus lowered his head and sighed, lowering the Matrix. Starscream reached for his wing, pulling out the concealed blade on his shoulder. Cup noticed the slimy Decepticon's movement and drew his pistol.

"GREASY COG!" the veteran yelled, firing a blast past Rodimus's face.

The blast hit Starscream in the shoulder, causing the blade to slip from his grip. It imbedded itself in the console behind him, creating sparks of electricity and triggering warning alarms. Orion swung his fist forward, striking Rodimus in the jaw so hard that the matrix flew from his grip. Cup grabbed the matrix, firing his pistol again and again, taking down three Decepticon drones. Jetfire helped Rodimus off of the floor, watching his two former allies in shock as they barged through Thrust, Dirge and Ramjet. Orion punched Skywarp across the face, knocking him into the wall. Cup then jumped, kicking Thundercracker in the chest and sending him flying into the path of the blast door, preventing it from closing. The Autobots stepped off of the Seeker, running down the corridor.

"By Primus Orion just decked Rodimus," Bumblebee gasped.

"Pay up Cliff," Ironhide said.

"You two were betting on whether Orion would betray Rodimus?" Warpath asked.

"Whose the real traitor here, the bot trying to save our brothers or the bot having them executed?" Arcee asked.

"Why couldn't you all just agree with what Rodimus had planned, why must you all be so self righteous?"

"You're one to talk about self righteousness Prowl," Blaster retorted.

"Exactly the kind of reply I'd expect from a washed out radio broadcaster," Prowl huffed.

Seven Decepticon foot soldiers suddenly stepped up from behind Warpath, arming their bladed weapons.

"You'd need not join that traitor Orion Pax, don't go against us, a records clerk can only get you so far," Prowl said.

"Everyone's always screeching about how Orion was a records clerk, well guess what, he's twice the bot Megatron is and proven now, four times the bot Rodimus is, so go straight to the pit you piece of slag!"

As soon as the words left Arcee's mouth, Orion's team struck. They each collectively and instinctively knew that they all wanted to follow Orion. Ironhide threw a metallic orb towards the Decepticons, releasing a bright flash that disrupted their sensors. He and Ratchet then bulldozed through them, picking Prowl and Warpath up and throwing them into the drones. The other smaller bots ran behind them, kicking or punching the Decepticons to make sure they stayed down. Ironhide pulled a cannon from his back and fired at the blast door, knocking down the Autobot defectors on the other side.

"You could be a little more graceful, and quiet," Ratchet said.

"Sorry Ratchet, but Ah like to make a mess, leaves more debris to get in the way of the enemy," Ironhide laughed.

He replaced the barrel of his cannon, converting it into an automatic chain gun. Flurries of armour piercing rounds flew into the Decepticons in front of them and cut apart the door at the same time. Cliff Jumper and Bumblebee turned into their car forms, riding around the two bigger Autobots and charging towards the Decepticon brute waiting for them. Cliff Jumper hit its legs with his chain gun and Bumblebee launched himself towards the brute, turning to robot form and driving his sword through the Decepticon's eye. Blaster stopped at the blast door and connected with the main console, looking at the security cameras. He and Jazz clapped their hands together, cheering for Orion and Cup as they smashed and blasted their way through Decepticons. Orion bought out his axe and beheaded a Decepticon bruiser, then drew out his path blaster and shot two-foot soldiers. Cup traded his empty pistol for two chain guns and fired down the hallway, cutting apart the squad of Decepticons brave enough to try and stop them.

"Blaster, make sure our channel is secure, put Cup on our frequency as well," Orion commanded.

"Please boss bot this is me you're talking to, I had the channel secure as soon as you knocked out Rodimus, mean swing you've got there by the way," Blaster explained.

"Get to a shuttle as quickly as you can, Jazz you have command until Cup gets there," Orion said.

"All right, finally a promotion…wait what do you mean Cup?"

"What about you big bot?" Bumblebee asked.

"Our escape will be meaningless if the Decepticons follow us, once you are through the relay I will the ships cannons to damage the relay just enough to keep the Decepticons from following," Orion explained.

"Then I'll go, those sparklings need a leader they respect," Cup said.

"They need a leader who will get them through a war zone."

"You're wrong Orion, they need a good leader and you are the good leader, you shouldn't have rejected the council's offer to make you a prime…"

"Because I was not worthy of it, Rodimus was!"

"Perhaps at the time, but right now the matrix needs someone to keep it from Megatron's clutches just as your team needs its true leader," Cup explained, putting the matrix in Orion's hand.

"Only one Autobot can be worthy of the matrix, only one can light our darkest hour," Orion sighed.

"I know, but right now it'll have to be you…until you find that Prime we need," Cup said.

Orion hesitantly nodded his head before placing the matrix inside his chest. He shook Cup's hand and bowed his head in respect. Cup was a warrior born, one of the greatest in Cybertron, victory after victory against the Protheans had been because of his actions on the front line. As Orion ran down the corridor to the shuttle bay, Cup turned and began rotating the barrels of his chain gun, targeting the Decepticons cutting through the blast doors.

"Come on you slagging drones, come and see what the insides of a true warrior looks like," Cup yelled before lighting the corridor up in a flash of gunfire.

Blaster hacked open the doors for the shuttle bay and ducked his head, dodging an energy blast. The Pax team drew their blasters, meeting the Decepticons gunfire. Blasts seared through Decepticon armour, bullets pierced their optics and metal smashed against metal as Ironhide knocked two Decepticons to the ground, executing them with shots to the head.

"Get the shuttle prahmed Jazz," Ironhide said.

"That sounded an awful lot like an order!"

"Don't let the second in command role get to your head racer bot."

"Enough, we need to focus, we have to wait ten more minutes and then we can take off," Arcee said.

"Negative hitbot, we wait for as long as it takes, you heard Cup Orion now has the matrix inside of him and we cant let it get into Decepticon hands," Jazz explained.

"He is second in command," Cliff Jumper gestured to Jazz.

"Stop inflating his ego," Arcee groaned.

"Orion," Bumblebee muttered, concerned for his commander's safety.

"He'll make it, Orion has the makings of a Prahm within him," Ironhide said.

"Ironhide, since we might not make it can you tell us why you talk like that?" Cliff Jumper asked.

"Prothean beam weapon damaged my vocal pipes, should consider myself lucky, some bots can only communicate through beeps after damages like that," Ironhide explained.

"I did offer to repair the damage, it isn't irreparable you know," Ratchet said.

"Ah like talking like this, it makes me unique!"

"We don't have time to wait around any longer," Arcee said.

"No, we wait for Orion," Bumblebee retorted.

"Prepare the ship for launch Jazz," Orion said over the radio.

The team remained silent, listening to the blaster fire over the radio. They heard metal grinding against metal and the agonised cries of Decepticons. Orion cut through his enemies with his axe, the blade glowed orange at temperatures so hot that the armour of the Decepticons it cut melted. He deactivated the weapon as he rushed into the shuttle bay.

"ORION OVER HERE!" Bumblebee yelled.

Orion switched to his vehicle mode, dodging the gunfire of the Decepticons that opened the blast door behind him.

"Provide covering fire for the boss," Jazz said.

The Autobots aimed their weapons at the Decepticons, firing flurries of bullets and beams past their leader. Orion turned to robot mode and slid across the floor on his back, firing blasts from his path blaster that destroyed the remaining Decepticon drones. He grabbed Ratchet's hand, allowing his old friend to pull him into the shuttle as the hatch closed.

"LAUNCHING!" Jazz yelled.

The shuttle slid through the launch catapult and out into space.

"ALL DECEPTICONS SHOOT DOWN THAT SHUTTLE!" Starscream yelled over the radio.

"Don't let them escape," one of the Decepticons said as he began firing at the shuttle.

The Constructicons joined their brethren in firing at the Autobot shuttle. Bumblebee and Cliff Jumper mounted the rear gunnery seats, shooting at the Seekers pursuing them.

"FOOLS! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" Starscream yelled.

"Notice how he isn't pursuing them," Warpath whispered to Prowl.

"Go straight for the relay Jazz, Blaster link us to a system the Decepticons wont be able to follow through traditional space bridge transport," Orion explained.

"Yes sir," the communications officer nodded his head before linking via wireless with the relay. "I'm linked with their commercial data net sir, they call it the Extra-net, wow the things on here," Blaster whistled.

"Focus!"

"Sorry sir, lets see, its on the edge of something called the Terminus systems, there's a world there colonised by a species called 'humans' by Primus how do they do they get by being so small and fleshy?"

"FOCUS!" the Autobots yelled.

"Sorry, the colony is called Eden Prime…well that sounds like as good a place as any to get started," Blaster said.

"Any place would be better than here," Cliff Jumper said.

"Slag it, we've taken a hit," Arcee growled.

"We've got this, I've programmed the course boss, but there's no activity from the G1's batteries," Blaster said.

"Cup," Orion squeezed the edges of his seat, praying the Autobot veteran would find a way.

"Incoming from above," Ratchet warned.

Jazz tilted the shuttle to the left, dodging a rain of missiles from Dirge.

"Target locked on, NOW DIE!" the Seeker yelled.

Suddenly, a beam flew into Dirge's chest, cutting him in half.

"WHAT!" Starscream yelled, more astonished by the attack than angered over the loss of his fellow Seeker.

Another shuttle flew up beside team Pax's, piloted by the Autobot veteran.

"Get through the relay Pax," Cup said.

"What about you old bot?" Bumblebee asked.

"It's a one way trip bee, nothing but you bots should go through it…this isn't a shuttle I'm riding, it's a missile," Cup smiled.

"Till all are one," Orion said.

"Till all are one," the other Autobots joined their leader in what was not only a hope but also a promise to the dead.

"NO! DON'T LET THEM GO THROUGH!" Starscream yelled.

Jazz yelled as he dived towards the mass relay. The blue energy of its mass effect field gripped the shuttle and propelled it into deep space. Cup also dived towards the mass relay, but to the 'fork' area the Autobots had worked so hard to rebuild. He revved the engines to full heat, pushing them past the recommended limit. The shuttle slammed into the relay, generating an explosion that tore the tuning forks off of the relay. Explosions spread across the relay, sending pieces of debris crashing onto the Decepticons. Rodimus lowered his head as Starscream lived up to his name, screaming in horror at the sight of their work breaking apart.

"Sir, incoming ship detected," one of the bridge crewmembers said.

"On screen," Rodimus commanded, much to Starscream's displeasure.

The Decepticons and Autobot defectors, both on the surface of the asteroid and inside the ship widened their eyes at the massive ship that exited warp space. It looked like a flying fortress, with spires and layers of gun batteries on its black surface. Starscream whimpered in fear, recognising the ship as the Nemesis, the command centre of his master.

"Megatron isn't going to like this!"

* * *

><p>"It doesn't really matter what he thinks," Nihlus Kryik said, huffing slightly at the absurdity of the question he had been asked.<p>

It wasn't your everyday gathering. Whilst true everyday a Turian, a Salarian and an Asari sat together to discuss events of galactic importance, this meeting was taking place inside the Spectre offices of the Citadel. The Spectre office could only be accessed by people of that rank, there were no chairs to sit at as it was not a place of comfort. Nihlus was a Turian Spectre, one of their best agents and a personal overseer of the joint project the Turian hierarchy and systems alliance were working on. His fellow Spectres were infamous in their own rights and good at their jobs. Spectres required people willing to be ruthlessly efficient, to protect the interests of the council no matter what, but to do so in a way that let people know they were still safe. No one was better at that than the Asari Spectre Tela Vasir, Nihlus didn't know specific details but guessed she got a lot of her Intel from the Shadow Broker, meaning the Asari had to do some kind of favour. Nihlus personally didn't like Tela and admitted that he wouldn't be particularly disturbed if she did die on a mission. She was a good actor, able to hide her sick enjoyment of wet work from the council and military personnel. Nihlus however knew exactly what the job could do to, it took a certain mindset to do ruthless things as Spectres did. The Salarian Jondum Bau seemed like the kind of person who didn't have that mindset, but he was one of the best Spectres, he had a level head, intelligence and a drive people thought Salarians lacked.

"The decision to induct a human into the Spectres will not sit well with Saren, you know what happened the last time it was attempted," Tela said.

"That was never proven to have been Saren's responsibility," Nihlus countered.

Saren Arterius was a Turian like Nihlus as well as a Spectre. He was more than a mentor to Nihlus, he was also a friend and comrade. Nihlus would not defend his friend's xenophobia but he would defend his judgement on the qualities needed in a Spectre and thought David Anderson was a brilliant soldier and commander, he didn't have the background Nihlus believed was essential for the mindset of a Spectre.

"Responsibility is equal, Saren took the mission too far, Anderson could not carry out objective, both failed in a way," Jodum said.

"We are not here to discuss the past, we are here for the future, to add to our ranks a human Spectre. Their ambassador Udina has provided us a list of names, dossiers of soldiers presented to the council whom represent the best of what humanity has to offer," Nihlus explained.

"On that note I like this one," Tela said, putting one of those dossiers on the terminal. "Raised on a military cruiser, very powerful biotic testing scores, decimated enemy forces on Torfan and he got away with his breach of military protocol."

"Too ruthless, execution of prisoners is unnecessary, especially considering they were foot soldiers and not officers, psychological profile suggests anti alien views," Jodum listed.

"Who do you suggest then?" Tela asked, glaring at the Salarian.

Jodum's black eyes scanned the dossiers. He muttered casual rejections one after the other, finally finishing on the one suggestion Nihlus had been thinking of.

"Danielle Shepard, records indicate she had no family and that she survived mostly through petty crime, there was one instance of major crime but she was exonerated. Her military record is very different and very impressive too, broke her camps obstacle course record, it would remain set until one marine Ashley Williams broke it by a mere two seconds, made N7 status early in her career, fought through the Blitz where she received many awards for bravery and was able to take enemy positions with very little resources," Jodum explained.

"Very good, but I am worried about this mission on Akuze, Thresher Maw hive…don't get me wrong its remarkable she survived such an experience with only a few fractures and scars but that might have left some serious emotional issues," Tela sighed.

"Or it could have left her the drive to make a promise…to never let that happen again, her missions since then have had minimal casualties on both sides, her negotiation skills are top class and more than that she understands the kind of people likely to threaten galactic stability, she was a criminal herself you know," Nihlus explained.

"There, that little quote 'minimal casualties on both sides' you can not negotiate with terrorists, you wipe them out," Tela smashed her fist into her hand.

"Depends on demands really, humans have a saying, what was it? Oh yes, 'one mans terrorist is another's freedom fighter' though why it is men and not simply people in general I do not know," Jodum muttered.

"Her career hasn't been defined by a body count Vasir, it has been defined by her drive, her will. She showed a remarkable will to live since then and a remarkable drive to keep people from dying, she's no naïve idealist believing that education alone will prevent the formation of terrorist cells, she knows they have to be dealt with but she takes an approach to dealing with threats that ensures there is no bad blood…keep in mind certain methods provoke not just fear and anger too. As for Saren's view point it doesn't matter, once he sees the good Shepard can do he will change his tune, it doesn't matter that she's human it only matters that she can get the job done."

Jodum nodded his head in agreement over Nihlus's statement.

"Personally it would be good to have a Spectre who doesn't just blow stuff up," he eyes lingered slightly over Tela, causing the Asari to glare.

"Then its decided, as the three most senior Spectres present we will declare on our records that Jane Shepard shall be put forward for Spectre status," Nihlus said.

"Agreed," Jodum nodded.

"Very well, agreed, lets hope she does better than the last one," Tela huffed.

"Her performance on Eden Prime will be the first, but I have faith she will live up to my expectations," Nihlus said.

He knew that the galaxy would soon change because of his decision. But he had no idea just how greatly things were going to change. The sentient species of two galactic civilisations were about to meet for the first time and an ancient evil would return to reap its cycle again.

Next Chapter 2: Shakedown

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter. Please tell me what you thought of it, I've wanted to do a Transformers and Mass Effect crossover as well as I can.<p>

Sorry to fans of Rodimus Prime, I like him too and I originally planned for Hot Rod to be the main autobot character. But then i thought of doing something different, a reverse of positions if you will. Orion Pax will be the main autobot character, if you've figured out who he really is then well done, he has a reversed colour scheme and he isn't quite the leader you know but he will be. The hint is in the title of the fic, I wanted to bring down the character we love to someone who has the potential to be great within him, but he hasn't fully adjusted to the responsibility behind him and the destiny ahead of him. Rest assured he will be the Prime you recognise by the end of the fic.

Though I'd go onto an interesting subject, which you're welcome to add to in the reviews too. Whilst I'm a fan of the original voice cast particularly Frank Welker and Peter Cullen I thought of certain voice actors who would do good at voicing certain characters, some already have voiced these characters others are actors I imagined speaking as I wrote dialogue:

Orion Pax: Jason O'Mara (played Albert Wesker in Resident Evil: Extinction but recently provided good voice work for Batman in the Justice League: War movie and will do so again for Son of Batman)

Ratchet: Jeffrey Combs (provided Ratchet's voice for the Prime series but before hand played the Question in Justice League Unlimited, plus I like it when he says 'I needed that!' which he will say a lot :)

Bumblebee: Johnny Yong Bosch (famous for being both a Black and Green ranger in Power Rangers, but has a good list of leading voice acting roles including Lelouch from Code Geass, Yukimura Sanada from Sengoku Basara and Ichigo from Bleach. Yet another whom has voiced this character, this time in the War For Cybertron game)

Rodimus Prime and Prowl: Travis Willingham (played Roy Mustang in Fullmetal Alchemist)

Arcee: Chloe Grace Moretz (famous as Hitgirl from the Kickass series and the Carrie remake, I just imagined her as the defensive Autobot who occasionally drops a swear word, yet kicks ass at the same time :)

Warpath: Jamieson Price (voiced Warpath in War for and Fall of Cybertron but has for the longest time provided the voice of Lu Bu in the Dynasty Warriors series)

Cliffjumper: Nolan North (voiced Cliff Jumper in Fall of Cybertron but also provided voice work for Desmond in the Assassin's Creed series, Smokescreen in Prime and Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series, oh and he also does the best Deadpool you'll ever hear)

Starscream: Steve Blum (voiced Starscream in Prime, but you've likely heard his voice in a lot of things :)

Anyway that's enough Transformers and their potential voice actors, might do more as I introduce more Transformers. Next time the Normandy crew and Commander Shepard will make their debut, as will Megatron.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

Glad I've got so many favourites and alerts, I hope everyone's enjoying the fic so far.

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 2: Shakedown

'Just another routine mission' was the common statement Shepard heard from the collection of crewmen gathered for the maiden voyage. Her shore leave of watching old movies and tinkering with old tech had been cut short, because apparently the maiden voyage of a joint Turian and human designed warship required a marine specialised in survival training and infantry combat in hostile territory. It also apparently required a war hero of David Anderson's calibre. Both a mentor and friend to her, Anderson wasn't the bean counter or council suck up that she expected to see captaining an experimental ship. Shepard had heard all of the rumours and scuttlebutt, that the project was a token gesture, a stunt from the ambassador and more supportive members of the alliance to the Citadel integration program. That was the unofficial name given to the alliances intention to join the Citadel council, to become part of the galactic community and share the same interests as the Asari, the Salarians and the Turians. Others however believed that humanity should stand on its own, while a small minority believed that humanity should dominate the aliens. That mindset was a minority and an unlikely conclusion to the tension between humans and aliens, the rich and elitist community whom had never had a hungry day or time of struggle in their lives. Shepard didn't see herself as better than anyone because of her strength of will, she was of the mind that people proved their superiority to others through their actions and being the best required following a very specific path. So Shepard wasn't against integration with aliens, joining the council of working together to create things, she just wondered why something like that required her attention.

The crew for the Normandy consisted of some of the brightest and most experienced minds the Alliance had. Head of engineering was Lieutenant Gregory Adams, a strict and intelligent engineer whom had served on every class of Alliance ship and had a good record for booting good engineering teams into shape. The chief medical officer was Karin Chakwas, she was from a long line of medical professionals and her dedication to the Alliance was unquestionable. Navigator Charles Pressly was in command of the CIC and navigational systems of the ship, Shepard had worked with him before and found that he was very good at his job and professional as well, even though he wasn't very open to the idea of contact with aliens. The Normandy's pilot was Jeff Moreau though the crew called him Joker, strangely when Shepard had first met him he had used a pair of crutches to walk around. She had no knowledge of his personal background but his reputation stated he was a good pilot; he just had a wit that most CO's wouldn't have put up with if he wasn't good at his job. There was a sizeable contingent of marines but most were green, in particular Jenkins, who in Shepard's opinion was too green to be part of the ground team. Though his test scores were good the private seemed too eager to prove himself, he wasn't yet aware of the ugly reality of warfare. On the other hand Kaiden Alenko was a welcome addition to the ground team, he had experience on his side and he was a sentinel specialised in biotics. Kaiden had a level head and an open mind that some people probably would have said was naiveté. But Shepard could tell that he had personal baggage that only made him better at his job.

Shepard stood away from most of the crewmen as she waited at Arcturus's docking bay with them. She shared the collective gasps of the other crewmembers as the Normandy pulled into dock. It was a frigate-sized ship that looked like it had manoeuvrability comparable to a fighter. She knew it would be a stealth ship and that it used a revolutionary element zero core, but all the other technical details had gone over her head, she was good with land vehicles and not ships.

"That's my baby," she head Joker say behind her.

"Amazing, you can see the Turian engineering in the wings," Kaiden noted.

The crew began assembling at the main hath with their duffel bags and footlockers. They followed Shepard's example and stood to attention, saluting as the door opened. Captain Anderson stood beside a Turian in red and black armour. Shepard eyed the Turian curiously, he was no diplomat and though every Turian had some form of military background, this Turian in particular had a look that said he was always ready for trouble. She noticed from the corner of her eye the awestruck look on Jenkins's face.

"Everyone report to your assigned positions on the ship, we have a long shakedown run ahead of us," Anderson said.

'Routine mission huh? I call bullshit,' Shepard thought as she followed her new crew into the Alliance's new ship.

* * *

><p>The atmosphere on the G2 had become deathly silent. Everyone was afraid, including Rodimus and especially Starscream. Rodimus noted the low morale amongst the crew, particularly Jetfire, he had already defected from the Decepticons in the path. The Nemeris had already docked wit the G2 and the main hatch rotated, the grinding of the metal and deathly silence amongst the crew signalled the arrival of the most feared Decepticon. His tall imposing form stepped into the ship, his red eyes scanning the crew members, noting their fear with a masked satisfaction. His armour was primarily silver and purple with red parts on the chest and arms. A black cannon was attached to his right arm, his signature fusion cannon. Rodimus held his breath, recognising the transformer as if they had met yesterday, to stand before the holographic form of Megatron was daunting, standing before him in person was terrifying. Stood behind the leader was his cadre of followers, they were his personal guards, advisors and even confidantes, the only members of his army he perhaps truly respected or called friends. His intelligence officer, as cold and emotionless as his blue armour was Soundwave. Long ago Soundwave had relinquished the emotion centres of his processors to guarantee absolute loyalty to Megatron so that concepts like morality never got in his way. Though even more cold than the emotionless drone, Shockwave made no modifications to his person to effect his mind and loyalty to his master. Shockwave possessed a huge body capable of turning into a tank, his square shapred head and single red eye was a reflection of his focus on the restoration of Cybertron and the rise of Megatron, no matter the cost. He was a scientist whose ruthlessness had resulted in the creation of numerous weapons that ensured Decepticon dominance in the war. Next to Shockwave was Megatron's finest warrior, perhaps the most skilled and powerful fighter in the war. His body consisted of black wings, armour and a green plate on his chest, his arms and head were silver and a red visor covered his eyes. Sixshot had been compared to the wielder of the long lost star sabre, his skill in combat was second only to Megatron but his true power was in his ability to transform into six different forms, granted to him by Shockwave's experiments. Megatron stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at Starscream. The commander of the seekers quivered at the eye contact. Megatron's expression softened only slightly as he looked to Rodimus.<p>

"Prime, good to see you, I'm glad you saw reason and I apologise for the loss of your men, were their deaths clean?" he asked.

"I had to personally execute four of my most trusted men, they would not follow me," Rodimus sighed.

"Surely you were not naïve enough to believe everyone would follow you, our path only has appeal to realists, traitors and cowards," Megatron cast his eyes coldly to Starscream and then to Rodimus, "which one are you?" he asked.

"I am a realist Megatron, Orion and Cup's ideals have no place in the Cybertron we will create," Rodimus said.

"Orion, that is a name I have heard before? Is he a soldier of particular note?"

"He's simply a library clerk leading a disorganised mob of burnt outs and sparklings," Starscream said.

"So he was no problem for your seekers!" Megatron expected one answer and turned to Starscream as the other seekers cowered.

"Well you see lord Megatron, as you know Cup is a soldier of notable skill, he gave his spark to allow Pax's team to escape…before he damaged it sir," Starscream motioned to the relay and backed away as Megatron squeezed his hand into a fist.

"I see and note that you have lost Dirge, it must have been painful to see one of your men die before your eyes," Megatron said.

"My men know the risks whenever I send them out lord Megatron," Starscream said.

"You didn't join the pursuit?"

"No lord Megaton I…" Megatron suddenly slammed his fist into Starscream's face, slamming him against the wall.

Megatron proceeded to punch the seeker again and again. The other seekers cringed and hid their amused expressions, though Starscream was their commander there was little respect for him. Starscream let out a yell as Megatron stomped his hand, partly crushing the fingers.

"You sent your men out and simply watched from a position of comfort as one was gunned down, I knew you were a coward Starscream but your stupidity…you have failed me yet again," Megatron snarled.

He was a warrior whom never tolerated failure and the Decepticons prayed that it was the Autobots whom faced the brunt of Megatron's anger and not them.

"I live to serve you lord Megatron, it was Rodimus whom failed, he foolishly put the matrix into Pax's hands," Starscream said.

"Is this true?" Shockwave asked.

"Yes, I believed that the gesture, would convince Orion of my trust in him," Rodimus said.

"You have both underestimated him, lord Megatron the last thing we must do is underestimate this Orion Pax," Sixshot said.

"Indeed, there seems to be more to this Orion Pax than meets the eye, formerly a clerk at the Iacon hall of records, I remember him now, he rallied a defence for the hall against Prothean raiders, he was too humble," Megatron explained.

"He must be eliminated and the matrix recovered or destroyed before he unlocks its power," Shockwave said.

"Ha, as if there is any kind of power to be unlocked, the matrix is simply a badge of honour, a tool to rally the Autobots," Starscream said.

"What did I say about underestimating the enemy's power?" Sixshot asked.

"Enough both of you," Megatron growled.

"Megatron, it was my fault that Orion managed to get the matrix, and the mission to explore the other galaxy was my idea…allow me to pursue Orion and reclaim the matrix," Rodimus bowed his head slightly.

Megatron put a hand to his chin. He knew the Protheans were no longer an issue. But he was cautious of danger, he wished for the military might of the other galaxy to be analysed before he deployed his invasion forces. Whatever technology was used by the species beyond the relay would either be a hindrance or advancement for Megatron's dream of rebuilding Cybertron and the establishment of an empire where strength and self determinism ruled. Rodimus approached him months ago with the idea of using the mass relay to travel into the other galaxy and plunder that community of their resources. He had seen first hand just how savage the Protheans were and according to both Soundwave and Rodimus the species beyond the relay had followed the same technological path as the Protheans, if so then in Megatron's eyes they were just as primitive as the great empire had been.

"Very well, Starscream, if you wish to prove yourself then accompany Rodimus, prepare your men for a long term away mission and then, when you have the opportunity, infiltrate the centre of their government and summon us," Megatron clicked his fingers and several drones walked out of the ship, brandishing pillars.

"Portable space bridge generators," Starscream gasped.

"Gives us a back door so we can crush the successors of the Protheans," Megatron closed his fist and his eyes, concealing his hatred of a species long past.

* * *

><p>Orion Pax looked at the stars from the bridge of the G1. The galaxy beyond Cybertron was no different than the holos left by explorers in Iacon. But it was not the stars that captivated Orion, it was the sight of planets, planets of organic life and magnificent possibilities. He had never seen a sight more beautiful than the marble in the stars that must have been Eden Prime. But then the sombre silence took over and the truth kicked in. He had left Cup to die with just an old saying that had lost meaning to even the Autobots.<p>

"Whew that was a close one," Cliff Jumper said.

"Cup died just now and the best you can say is that?" Arcee asked.

"I'm shook up about it too, but Cup willingly gave his life."

"So you won't mind if we don't grieve for you if you die?" Bumblebee asked.

"Enough, this isn't the time to be arguing or grieving," Orion said, turning away from the window view. "We are now in unknown territory, Ironhide begin prepping our weapons, Bumblebee and Cliff Jumper check our supplies, Jazz put us into disguise mode, Arcee remain at the gunnery station and do not fire unless we are fired upon first, Blaster check the data channels and discover this galaxy's form of communication!"

To their credit the Autobots began following his orders, even though they wanted time to mourn for Cup Orion had made the reality of their situation clear. Cliff Jumper and Bumblebee began searching the cargo hold for energon cubes and armour, whilst Ironhide did an inventory on their available munitions. Jazz switched the ship to disguise mode, using a hologram to turn into an asteroid and mimicking a drifting pattern. Ratchet got off his station and followed Orion onto the observation deck.

"Are we really going to make first contact Orion?" the medic asked.

"We are soldiers, we are the worst possible candidates, Rodimus was better suited," Orion sighed.

"With respect old friend, you are right about me and the others, you on other hand are the best candidate, even better than Rodimus," Ratchet said.

"Ratchet, we are not going to discuss this again," Orion turned away from the medic and head for the gunnery station.

"I wasn't talking about being a Prime but considering we've gone into that conversation again…"

"I am just a records clerk turned soldier Ratchet, Rodimus was a diplomat and Sentinel's student, what was I supposed to do?" Orion asked.

The pair stopped at Arcee's gunnery station and flinched slightly at her glare.

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"That would depend on what you are about to say!"

"Easy Ratchet, yes Arcee please speak freely," Orion said.

"I know about you sir, my spark was forged from the melding of two civilians there. Anyway, I know what you did, how whilst Rodimus was willing to wait for Megatron's reinforcements you did not want to see another massacre of D-13, so you rallied the people, inspired them to fight and utilised tactics used by the Risen one millions of years ago. The council was ready to sing praises of you, no one had any doubt that you would become a Prime, but you downplayed your involvement, you gave credit to Rodimus. If you accepted your role in the defence of Iacon you would have become a Prime, you would have been Rodimus's commander and everyone would have been on your side and none of this would have happened!"

Ratchet remained silent as Arcee allowed her words to sink in. Orion lowered his gaze, noticing that Jazz and Blaster were both looking at him for a response as well.

"I know, I know," was all he could reply with.

"Why didn't you become a Prime? Why didn't you accept responsibility?" Arcee asked.

"That's enough, you've already spoken your mind, you don't get to talk down to your superior officer," Ratchet said.

"Because I didn't deserve to be a Prime, I did something no Prime would have done," Orion sighed.

"You ask me sir Rodimus has pretty much lowered the bar on what a Prime should be," Arcee huffed.

The door suddenly opened and Bumblebee and Cliff Jumper walked in.

"Well we've certainly got enough Energon for half a year at least, that is if we don't use that ground bridge," Cliff Jumper explained. "Hey what's the awkward silence for? Oh man did he reveal why he's an insecure cog, Arcee you were supposed to tell me!"

Bumblebee slapped his palm against his face, whilst Ratchet glared at the red racer.

"Ironhide, how is the inventory on the weapons going?" Orion asked.

"Ah'm betting there's enough ammo here to last us a month in the trenches, the bigger weapons will drain our Energon reserves so I'd recommend sticking to basic firearms and melee combat, shouldn't be a problem for you boss bot," Ironhide explained.

"Blaster, have you been able to gain enough information?"

"Well boss bot I managed to find out what the primary system of information flow is in this galaxy. They call it the Extra-net and I'm telling you the things they've got on here makes me envy the organics and how flexible they can be," Blaster grinned.

"Can we access is?" Cliff Jumper asked too quickly.

"Yep, give it a try," the communications expert gave his fellow Autobots the thumbs up.

One by one the Autobots linked their processors with the Extra-net. Streams of information flooded their minds, educating them on the history of the galaxy. Within seconds they were aware of the Prothean destruction and that the present galaxy was ignorant of how savage the empire was. They began to learn of the different species across the galaxy and their individual history, their cultures and languages. The information cycle passed and the Autobots experienced the subtle sense of dizziness that came with the mass download of information.

"Wow, those Asari," Cliff Jumper muttered.

"I knew the first word out of your mouth would be about the Asari," Arcee said.

"I'm hoping you're not thinking of dating an Asari, cause apparently these organics reproduce through…physical activities, yuck!" Bumblebee shook his head.

"We need to focus on Eden Prime and a means to make peaceful first contact with the humans," Orion said.

"Why the humans, why not go to Thessia or Palaven?" Ratchet asked.

"Ah agree Orion, if we're going to make first contact it should be with the big bosses," Ironhide said.

"The longer we stay in disguise the more risk there is of the council assuming we're hostile, I think Orion is right, we should make first contact as soon as possible," Jazz explained.

"Well we are going to have to hurry, cause I'm intercepting some distress signals and I mean a lot of distress signals," Blaster turned to his fellow Autobots sheepishly.

"Jazz bring us closer to Eden Prime and bring up a view on the main screen," Orion said.

Jazz nodded his head and pushed a few buttons at his console. He raised his head and gasped, sharing the collective reactions of the other Autobots. Black ships of some kind were moving into Eden Prime's orbit, the Autobots could see the signs of explosions on the planet's surface.

"What the hell?" Arcee looked to Orion in confusion.

"We know that this galaxy has not yet achieved a total peace, but those ships are not logged on the databases of any species in this galaxy, in fact they are not even utilising the same materials used by those species," Orion explained.

"Boss bot, those ships are known of, just not to a degree that a captain would be able to identify them by mere sight, they're called Geth sir," Jazz said.

"Geth, I thought they lived in the veil, why would they be attacking Eden Prime?" Bumblebee asked.

"Could they be responding in self defence? This galaxy is very ignorant of the development and sentience of inorganic life, which leads us to a big problem boss bot, if we go down there, what's going to stop them from attacking us because we're inorganic?" Blaster asked.

Ironhide and Orion looked at one another, they both understood the situation and what the Geth attack had provided them with.

"Thank Primus this attack has happened," Ironhide said.

The younger Autobots looked at him in shock.

"Ironhide could have worded it better, but to a degree he is right, this attack is good for us," Orion said.

"What? How can you say that Orion, there are people dying down there," Ratchet growled.

"We will save them," Orion narrowed his eyes as he turned to his troops. "This attack though tragic has given us an opportunity to prove not to the leaders of this galaxy, but to its people that we mean them only the greatest of goods, Jazz bring us out of disguise mode and head towards Eden Prime," Orion explained.

"I knew you would do the right thing Orion, but this may backfire terribly," Ratchet sighed.

"Blaster, open communications with the defence forces, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Cliff Jumper with me, Arcee stay at the gunnery station!"

"What about me Orion?" Ratchet asked.

"Move to the ground bridge and prepare equipment necessary for treating organics, we're going to be marking a lot of refugees for transport," Orion said.

"We're really going to do it Orion, we're going to save this colony?" Jazz asked.

Orion drew his axe from his back as Ironhide pulled out his blaster and Bumblebee his assault rifle.

"Yes!" the Autobot rebel said before he and his assembled ground team rushed down the corridor that would lead them to the cargo doors.

* * *

><p>Shepard fixed the parts of her N7 armour over her hardsuit. They were roughly thirty minutes away from Eden Prime and Anderson had ordered Shepard to be in full gear for her meeting with Nihlus. The Turian was a Spectre and had become a common topic of discussion amongst the crew. He had also much to Shepard's annoyance been the person she saw most on the ship. Everywhere she went she would bump into the red and white faced Turian. It wasn't so much that Shepard disliked Turians or Nihlus himself. She didn't bear any hatred for the Turians over their 'welcoming' of humanity during first contact. Nihlus was professional and disciplined, looking at him painted a good picture for Shepard of Turians. After locking the final piece of her armour in place, Shepard thought of the report and orders Anderson had given her concerning the mission and her future.<p>

"This mission is a lot more than a simple shakedown run," Nihlus had said.

"That's everyone guess, Captain I don't like this, information is a central part of every mission, knowing what we're getting ourselves into allows us to prepare both in terms of supplies and our mental state…right now the crew is nervous, the rookies are too eager and the optimists are too relaxed. You can't keep information from us sir, that's when things go to hell," Shepard explained, making her opinion of the mission very clear.

"This goes straight from the top Shepard, the information is on a strictly need to know basis," Anderson said.

"So in essence none of the crew need to know what they're getting themselves into?" Shepard asked.

Nihlus looked between the two humans, noticing the anger in Shepard's eyes and the apologetic look on Anderson's. The captain was a soldier who had to follow orders and the same thing applied to the commander. They were like Turians in that regard, they knew their orders and though they didn't like them they would follow them.

"We couldn't afford any security leaks prior to launch, the research team on Eden Prime have also kept a lid on their discovery as best as they could. A few days ago they unearthed a beacon, a Prothean beacon, you know the importance of this Shepard. The last time humanity found Prothean records our technology jumped by decades, and with Eden Prime so close to the borders of the Terminus systems this discovery could trigger an attack," Anderson explained.

"Obviously this goes beyond human interests Shepard, this discovery benefit all of council space. The Normandy, yourself and I have been tasked with the priority of escorting the beacon to a facility on Therum. There a Prothean expert Dr Liara T'Soni will study the beacon," Nihlus said.

"Why her and not researchers on the Citadel?" Shepard asked.

"Prothean 'experts' are hard to come by, a lot of our knowledge on Prothean history is mostly from their technology and ruins from their old worlds. We don't truly know anything about the Protheans, Dr T'Soni however discovered something on Therum, hand carver drawings detailing Protheans being driven away by giant beings of some kind, this has sparked the council's interest in securing Prothean data. But as it was humanity that discovered this beacon the Normandy has been employed for its pick up," Nihlus explained.

"I see, so that's why we have a spectre with us for a shakedown run," Shepard muttered.

"That's not all Nihlus is here for, he also here to evaluate you Shepard," Anderson said.

Shepard looked at Nihlus curiously.

"What is this about?" she asked.

"I've put your name forward as a candidate for the spectres, Eden Prime and Therum will be the first of many missions together, I will evaluate your performance and if you succeed you'll be accepted into our ranks," Nihlus explained.

Shepard huffed and shook her head.

"I see, thanks for the invite but I believe the Alliance needs to post me with a new unit," she said.

"This isn't about you Shepard, the spectres represent the council's power and authority if a human is asked to join its but one step towards humanity gaining a seat," Anderson explained.

"I'm a soldier Anderson, that's it, I go to fight a war or protect a colony's border and hopefully save lives during disasters, no offence to Nihlus but spectres are glorified wet workers I am not willing nor capable of the finesse and secrecy spectres need," Shepard stated.

"Being a spectre is about more than just a willingness to kill Shepard, I know what you did at Akuze, you showed a remarkable will to live…the spectres have too much ruthlessness, we need drive, the drive of an operative to live and to save other lives through the success of a mission," Nihlus explained.

"I am not going to be the alliances poster girl Anderson," Shepard said.

"The top brass approved this Shepard, I get what you're feeling I miss frontline work as well, but the alliance and Nihlus see that you can do more than that," Anderson explained.

Shepard sighed and hesitantly nodded her head.

"This is just a political move," she said.

"On the alliances part yes, on your part it can be so much more," Nihlus said, crossing his arms.

"Maybe, all right I'll do it, but only because the alliance has ordered me to and Nihlus…if you're to evaluate me then evaluate me, if you want a glorified yes-girl then give me orders, if you want a spectre let me do things my way, not your way my way…this was humanity's discovery so you'll let me handle this and judge me as a spectre for my results," Shepard explained.

"I understand Shepard, very well, this'll be your op, your orders…your call!"

Nihlus moved his hand into a Turian style salute and smiled as Shepard left the briefing room. He knew he had made the right decision to make Shepard a spectre. Shepard touched the inside of her locker door, gazing at the picture of her old squad. A part of her felt like she was betraying their memory, moving away from front line work for covert ops and enforcer work, the kind of things she left her old life on Earth to get away from.

'Forget that Jane, focus on the mission,' Shepard thought as she slammed the door shut and fixed her rifle to her back.

She moved through the corridors of the Normandy, saying hello to her crew for the foreseeable future. When Shepard reached the bridge she found most of the familiar faces talking amongst themselves. Nihlus and Anderson stood at the star map, overlooking the crew and seeming out of place amongst the relaxed crew members. Chakwas stood with Jenkins, discussing Eden Prime. It turned out that Jenkins grew up on Eden Prime, making him a colonist. Though there were cases like Akuze that showed how dangerous colonial life could be, Jenkins had been lucky enough to grow up in a colony were nothing happened.

"I signed up with the alliance when I came of age and I haven't looked back since," as Jenkins closed his conversation with Chakwas he noticed Shepard walking by. "Commander," he quickly stood to attention and pulled his best salute.

"Jenkins, Chakwas," Shepard nodded.

"We wont be at Eden Prime long will we commander I'm itching to get some real action," Jenkins said.

"I sincerely hope you're kidding corporal, your 'real action' usually involves me patching you up," Chakwas said.

"You need to slow down corporal, only an idiot goes looking for a fight," Shepard said.

"Sorry its just I've never been on a mission with a spectre before," Jenkins chuckled.

"Don't get him started commander, the spy vids have Jenkins's sense of reality confused with romantic legend," the medical officer shook her head as Jenkins sheepishly rubbed his head.

"Hey you'd make a good spectre Shepard," Jenkins said.

'You have no idea boy,' Nihlus and Shepard thought.

"They're always getting sent into unknown situations, forced to survive impossible odds, like you did at Akuze!"

"Fifty marines died there corporal!" Shepard snapped at Jenkins.

"I'm sorry commander…I didn't mean to offend you, I respected what you did there," the boy said.

"And I pray you have a very boring career Jenkins, for the sake of your life," Shepard said as she walked away.

"I didn't mean to…"

"It doesn't matter corporal, Shepard went through something you can't understand and like she said for your sake I hope you never do," Chakwas said.

Shepard walked past the pair and stood behind Nihlus.

"Captain, we have a transmission from Eden Prime sir, you better take this," Joker said over the intercom.

Nihlus's jaw flexed, whilst Shepard took her hands away from her 'at ease' position. They could both tell the stress in Joker's voice. Likewise Anderson recognised the rare urgency the pilot spoke with and motioned for his XO and the spectre to follow him. They walked around Jenkins and Chakwas and through a door that locked behind them. The conference room had been designed for mission briefings between senior crew and had quantum entanglement communicators for long distance communication.

"Put it on the main screen Joker," Anderson said.

Joker picked up the captains voice from the audio monitors and diverted the call. The holographic screen in the conference room showed a scene that turned the trio's stomachs. Gunfire echoed out of the speakers, combined with the heavy breathing of the marine whose eyes they were seeing through. His or her helmet cam was being used by the senior marine to convey the situation on Eden Prime. It had become a war zone, explosions threw up grass and dirt from the ground and lines of marines were mowed down by lasers of some kind. The marine turned to one of his comrades, a woman in white phoenix armour.

"Get down," she said, shoving the marine to the ground before firing at the unknown enemies.

His head turned, looking directly at the senior marine. He was afraid, just like every other marine under his command.

"This is Sergeant Donk of the two twelve, the colony is under attack by an unknown enemy, we are taking heavy casualties, they came out of nowhere GAAGH!" a beam suddenly flew through the side of his head.

The helmet camera turned and looked at the horrified expressions of the marines before looking to the sky. Red bolts of energy circulated around a hand like figure in the distance.

"Everything cuts out after that captain, everything else is distress signals from the city centre," Joker said.

"Reverse and hold at thirty eight point five," the captain said.

The footage reversed and stopped at the image of the hand. Upon closer inspection Shepard realised that it looked more like a monster with tentacles and then identified it as a ship. But it was unlike anything she had ever seen before and as she looked to Nihlus she saw that he was also at a lost.

"Wait…zoom in on the left side of that image," Shepard said.

Anderson looked at Shepard curiously as she narrowed her eyes at the silhouette on top of the ship. Whatever it was had the subtle shape of a person, a giant a third of the size of the Normandy.

"Can we clear that image up?" she asked.

"No, but I see it too commander," Nihlus said.

"This mission just got a lot more complicated," Anderson said.

* * *

><p>Rodimus prepped his wrist blasters. He had already selected the people whom would follow him into the new galaxy. Prowl, Warpath and Jetfire were willing to go, but part of Rodimus felt uneasy. He could see the hesitation in Jetfire and prayed to Primus that if he did defect he wouldn't take Prowl and Warpath with him. His plan could afford no distractions, Starscream would be easy to work around, even though Megatron had assigned the Constructicons to go with Starscream's seekers Rodimus was confident that those troops alone wouldn't interfere with his grander plan. He cut his line of thought short as Megatron walked up behind him.<p>

"Are your troops ready?" he asked.

"Yes Megatron, but I believe for the sake of the mission I should take the Combaticons instead of the seekers," Rodimus said.

"The Combaticons are a bomb Rodimus, the seekers are a knife, this operation will require subtly, Starscream is a coward but a subtle coward at that. I want to know whether you are truly dedicated to this partnership…you were friends with Orion Pax, what certainty do you have that allows you to betray your former allies so readily?"

"You believe I have an ulterior motive for approaching you?" Rodimus asked.

"You once believed that Sentinel would find a miracle in deep space, so much so that you rejected my initial offer, what changed?" Megatron asked.

"I received confirmation, of a way to save Cybertron without having to lose any of our people in the process," Rodimus said.

Megatron huffed sceptically, "it's a little late for that," he said.

"Lord Megatron!"

Several troopers suddenly walked into the room and Rodimus's gaze fell. They were dragging Cup's wrecked remains. His legs were hanging off of wiring on his knees, his face was half crushed and his chest had been ripped open, exposing the light of his spark, the life-giving core of all Cybertronians. Megatron turned to his soldiers and looked down at the broken veteran.

"Impressive defiance Cup, but it ultimately failed, we can still repair the relay," Megatron said.

"I may have failed, but he wont!"

Rodimus widened his eyes; his mentor was still clinging to life. Cup spat a blob of oil onto the purple insignia on Megatron's chest. Megatron smirked slightly and nodded to his men. They placed Cup onto his knees and stepped back.

"Who wont fail?" Megatron asked.

"Orion Pax, the Autobot whom will rise," Cup said.

"HA! That old legend," Starscream scoffed.

"The Autobot whom now bares the matrix, the one who will light our darkest hour," Megatron said.

"You know it I see, yes, though I have failed Orion Pax will not."

"Alls we want is the preservation of our home world, every decision I have made Cup no matter how cruel or dishonourable has been for the good of my people," Rodimus explained.

"But it won't end there will it? At least for Megatron it wont, you wont stop at our world will you?" Cup asked.

"No…I will not," was Megatron's only reply.

"Which is why I trust that Orion will rise and become the Prime to surpass all Prime's before him, he will stop you," Cup said.

Megatron raised his cannon and fired a single shot. Cup's body blew apart as the energy collided with his spark. Whilst his body began to crumble his spark began to fade, drifting out of the conscious world and into the all spark, where all Cybertronians joined. In essence, Megatron had executed Cup just as Cup had killed Dirge.

"Then I'll just have to kill him too," Megatron said as he crushed Cup's head with his foot.

Next Chapter 3: Roll out

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I wanted to introduce Shepard in sort of an undecided ParagonRenegade state, she talks back but she ultimately follows orders or at least orders that make sense to her. There's a history behind her dislike of Spectre authority and I'll bring that into play in later chapters. Likewise Orion probably isn't the bot you remember, he has some dark secrets, he doesn't see himself as worthy of being a Prime and there's a reason for that. I hope everybody liked Megatron, he was a tough one to write, I want to establish him as a ruthless character, a man driven by this intense anger but at the same time there's a reason behind his attitude.

Sorry to fans of Cup, but there wont be a rebirth for him. I'm going to give fair warning now, not every Transformer will survive, some of you may witness the deaths of characters you come to like.

00virtuezero made a choice on voice actor I didn't think of before, so I'm picturing Megatron with Ron Pearlman's voice. But I also thought of some more Transformers introduced in this chapter and last:

Jazz: Phil LaMarr (played Jazz and other characters in Transformers Animated, but has also voiced John Stewart and Static Shock in the DCAU, Aquaman in Young Justice and Injustice, Vamp in the Metal Gear Solid series and Hermes Conrad in Futurama.)

Shockwave: David Sobolov (voiced Shockwave in Transformers Prime but has also voiced Depth Charge in Beast Wars, Lord Tyger in Spider-man Unlimited and Lobo in Young Justice and Injustice)

Sixshot and Blaster: Roger Craig Smith (current voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, Chris Redfield from the Resident Evil series, Ezio Auditore from Assassins Creed and the voice of Batman in Arkham Origins. I imagine Smith's Zhang Liao voice from the Dynasty Warriors series for Sixshot and the tone he used for Sonic when I write dialogue for Blaster)

Ironhide: Keith Szarabajka (Has voiced Ironhide in the Transformers War for Cybertron series, but also voiced Harbinger in Mass Effect, the Didact in Halo 4, Cornelius Slatein Bioshock Infinite and also played Detective Gerard Stephens in the Batman Begins sequel the Dark Knight)

Anyway next time the Autobots arrive on Eden Prime, Orion sends Ironhide, Cliff Jumper and Bumblebee to rescue civilians whilst he investigates the area Sovereign orbits, the first human Spectre and the Autobot rebel meet for the first time as a dark figure from Cybertron's history returns.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect or Transformers

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 3: Roll out

What was once a peaceful colony had become a war zone. Shepard knew there were other areas of the colony in need of help, but the Normandy's priority was securing the beacon. She checked the sight of her rifle before clamping it to her back. Jenkins and Kaidan had put on their standard blue alliance armour and stood lined up behind Shepard. Nihlus checked over his shotgun and rifle as Anderson walked to the front of the group. The main cargo hatch of the Normandy opened behind him, giving the ground team a good look at the devastation that had already consumed the colony. Jenkins usually bright demeanour sank into shock at seeing his childhood home burn.

"We're approaching the drop sight captain," Joker said over the intercom.

"We're getting you as close to the dig sight as we can, make your way over and secure the beacon," Anderson said.

"What about survivors captain?" Kaidan asked.

"Helping civilians is a secondary objective, but the beacon has to remain your top priority!"

Jenkins looked towards Nihlus as the Turian approached jump distance of the hatch.

"Nihlus, you coming with us?" he asked.

"I move faster on my own," the Turian said.

"Negative Nihlus, this is my op, the team moves as one I don't care if you move like the Flash when on your own we move as a single unit," Shepard explained.

Nihlus's mandibles twitched for a moment before he walked to Shepard's side.

"Very well commander, this is your op," he said.

"Alright, get ready to jump gentlemen," Shepard began walking to towards the edge of the hatch as the Normandy hovered over the drop zone.

It was a small hill overlooking what must have been a gorgeous view of the colony before the invasion. Instead of the bright green fields and housing units only flames could be seen, machines of war had replaced the sounds of the machines of honest working colonists. Shepard was the first to land, followed by Nihlus, Kaidan and finally Jenkins. They drew out their rifles, scanning the region for enemy activity. Apart from the distant gunfire everything was quiet, it reminded Shepard of the old vids she watched but she wasn't superstitious enough to believe that saying it was too quiet would jinx the situation. She kept her rifle out, never relaxing as she led her team down the hill towards a grassy area.

"What are those?" Kaidan asked, in reference to the strange wool like creatures floating around.

"Gas bags, don't worry they're harmless, we used to use them as target practice," Jenkins said.

Nihlus remained silent, keeping an eye and ear out as Shepard did. She moved ahead of the group, turning around a set of rocks towards a path that overlooked most of the colony. The Commander began to move forward, but stopped as she saw something in the clouds.

"Normandy, is there any activity in the skies?" she asked over the radio.

"Negative Commander, wait…yeah we just got a ping over the communication channel, I'll patch you in commander," Joker said.

The other members of the ground team put their hands to their ears as a voice echoed through their communicators. The metallic voice echoed in every communication channel in the colony. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams took cover in a trench, putting a hand to her radio as Geth walked by her.

"This is communications officer Blaster of the G1 contacting all Edenians, wait what…they're from Earth? Well that's a terrible name for a planet, you might as well call it dirt…they're called humans? Why don't they call themselves Earthians? Or dirtians…"

"Turn that over to me Blaster, this is flight lieutenant Jazz of the G1 contacting all colonists of Eden Prime. You are under attack by Geth forces we are not part of the Geth collective, I repeat we are not part of the Geth collective we are the Autobots and we're here to help!"

Shepard widened her eyes slightly as a ship twice the size of the Normandy emerged from the clouds.

"Anderson was right, this mission did get a lot more complicated, keep moving," she said, forgetting the ship and moving down the path.

Her ears perked as she heard a whirring sound.

"GRAB COVER!" she yelled.

Nihlus and Kaidan immediately dived towards the nearest rock. Jenkins however hesitated and he paid for it. Two drones emerged from the rocks, floating above the ground, their pulse cannons aimed at Jenkins. The barrage of beam fire pierced Jenkins's shields and ripped through his armour. He let out a gasp of pain before he fell to the floor. Shepard grit her teeth together, she hated being right about rookies. Popping out of cover, Shepard activated the tech on her Omni-tool. Mass effect fields interfered with the weapon systems on the drones, blowing them both up.

"Clear commander," Nihlus said, checking the area with his rifle.

Kaidan knelt down by Jenkins and closed his eyes, making him seem more peaceful than his death had been.

"Ripped right through his shields commander, he never had a chance," Kaidan sighed.

"We'll make sure he gets a proper service when we get back, but right now I need you to stay focus staff-lieutenant," Shepard said.

"Sure thing commander!"

'She looks back at her allies but at the same time remains focused on the mission,' Nihlus noted.

"If that message was genuine then we don't have to worry about the rest of the colony, we move forward with our objective, secure the beacon for pick up," Shepard explained, taking up her rifle and moving down the path ahead.

* * *

><p>In the skies above the colony, the Autobot G1 shuttle opened its main hatch. Orion gripped his axe firmly as he looked at the devastation the Geth had brought to the colony. He understood their violence against the Quarians, but an attack on a colony was unacceptable to Orion. Cliff Jumper slammed his fist into his palm in anger.<p>

"What are the Geth doing? It doesn't make sense for them to attack a human colony," Cliff Jumper said.

"It goes to show that they haven't developed as much as we first believed, they're just as bad as the Quarians," Ironhide growled.

"Ironhide, take the young scouts and move into the civilian districts, I will go onto the frontline and deal with the Geth heavy units," Orion explained.

His three-squad mates nodded their heads.

"Till all are one," Bumblebee saluted.

Orion took a running start and jumped out of the hatch. He spread his arms out, controlling his descent through the clouds of the planet. His sensors zoomed in on the Geth colossi marching through the plains towards the major civilian districts. Orion switched to his truck mode and engaged the rockets beside his wheels, slowing his descent. What would have been an unceremonious crash turned into a smooth drive onto the ground. Orion fired his chest-mounted rockets at the first colossus he saw, destroying its legs and bringing it to the ground. The other Geth colossi immediately responded to the loss of their 'comrade'. They altered their positions, walking on paths that would have put them on a direct collision course with Orion.

"Commencing jump," Ironhide said.

"COMING THROUGH OLD MAN!" Cliff Jumper yelled, barging past Ironhide and living up to his name.

Bumblebee hit his face with the palm of his hand as Ironhide shook his head. Cliff Jumper switched to his car mode as he landed, squashing two human sized Geth troopers. He revved his engine, throwing bits of dirt off of the floor with his wheels before he accelerated down the dirt road.

"Commencing rescue operation," Ironhide said as he and Bumblebee landed.

"We're following you guys, Arcee any movement from the ships in orbit?" Jazz asked.

"They're moving back one at a time, it almost seems like they're close to getting what they want," Arcee said.

"Medical lab is set up and all instruments are configured to treat organics, I took the liberty of activating the Minicons," Ratchet explained.

The Minicons were human sized drones ideal for exploration in small places. Ratchet however reprogrammed them with the medical knowledge that would be needed to treat humans. Knowledge of a species biology was all Ratchet needed to treat a patient. On the surface of the planet, the Autobot trio rolled into the housing district. Geth patrolling the streets diverted their attention away from the homes and looked towards the three unique vehicles rolling down the road.

"Time to show em what you learnt at boot camp boys," Ironhide said.

Cliff Jumper and Bumblebee bought out the machine guns mounted on their hoods, firing flurries of bullets into the Geth platforms. They then moved to the side as Ironhide bought out his holoshield, blocking the Geths pulse rifle fire. He then rammed the platforms head on, crushing them like insects on the windshield. The trio skidded round a corner, coming to a halt in the city centre. Two squads stood either side of them, armed with missile launchers and plasma shotguns and backed up by bigger Geth platforms.

"They call themselves…HA HA HA! Hey Bee check this out, these bigger Geth are called Primes, HA!" Cliff laughed hysterically, his engine revving with every chuckle.

"Prahms huh, hope they live up to the name," Ironhide grunted.

The Geth Primes began firing heavy blasts from their rifles. Colonists daring to look out of their windows were shocked when the three vehicles transformed. Cliff Jumper and Bumblebee took the left, firing their blasters whilst Ironhide took the right flank down with blasts from his twin arm cannons.

"Feeling lucky punks," he said firing until the last Prime went down.

Bumblebee heard gunfire in the distance and immediately switched to vehicle mode. He sped past Cliff Jumper and moved towards the edge of the district. Geth fired on a civilian transport. Bumblee transformed and jumped at the troopers, squashing two with his feet and then kicked another one across the road. He looked towards the tanker and raised his hand as the driver aimed a pistol at him.

"Easy, I'm here to help," Bumblebee said, confident that even if the human did fire the pistol wouldn't damage him.

"Help, what are you?" the driver asked.

"Here to help, do you have any wounded with you?" the scout asked.

"Yeah, my sister, she took a hit to the head when our truck was blown off the road, a few houses in the rest were also hit really bad by the attacks," the young man explained.

"Ironhide, Cliff Jumper did you two get that?"

"We're already there Bee," Ironhide said.

He moved pieces of rubble aside, scanning the humans underneath for life signs.

"We've got some organics just clinging to life here Ratchet, marking them for ground bridge transport," the weapon's expert scanned a green light over the humans.

A blue light then formed around the wounded, taking them off of the ground and directly into the G1's med bay. Minicons began applying injections to the patients, giving them anaesthetic and setting their broken bones. Cliff Jumper rammed his hand into a burning house and pulled out some of the humans trapped inside. A green light from Cliff Jumper's eyes swept over the wounded, marking them for ground bridge transport.

"Got some major burn victims heading your way Ratchet," the scout said.

"Roger that, preparing disinfectants, cleaning the burns is as much as I can do, we'll need to get them to medical facilities on Eden Prime equipped for handling burns. Boys you'd better find the wounded quickly and stand ready for an attack," Ratchet explained.

"He's right guys, I'm detecting several Geth drones heading for your position," Blaster said.

"I've got them Blaster," Orion said.

He skidded between two colossi and shot one point blank with his missiles. The shockwave from the explosion threw him into the air. Orion transformed to robot mode and fired blasts from his path blaster, hitting a colossus's legs and bringing it to the ground. The colossi began firing electric blasts from their eyes, forcing Orion to bring out his foldable shield. He blocked with one hand and shot with the other, hitting vital points in the necks of his targets. One shot would damage the armour and a second was enough to melt through it, damaging the circuitry enough to behead the creatures. Orion vented the heat from his weapon and ejected the ammo clip. Mechanisms on the gun automatically loaded a new clip attached to the side of the gun, giving Orion Pax another full clip of eight shots. He clipped the blaster to his side and took out his battle-axe.

"Blaster, run a full diagnostic scan on that ship in the distance," he commanded.

"Already done boss bot, the scanners seemed to short out," Blaster said.

"All of our warning alarms go off too whenever we even go near it, its as if the G1 is frightened of it sir," Jazz explained.

"That lightning effect, no ship should be capable of something like that, not even the ships of the pre-Prime era," Orion narrowed his optics at the strange ship lingering over the dig sight. "Ground team status report!"

"Moving some of these fleshies into safer zones boss bot," Cliff Jumper reported.

"Finding more wounded along the outer edges of the city sir, especially around the farming areas," Bumblebee explained.

"Bumblebee don't go too far out!"

"Don't worry big bot I'm AGH!"

"BUMBLEBEE!" Cliff Jumper yelled.

"Don't break formation kid, we remain on the civvies," Ironhide said.

"Bumblebee report!"

"Minor damage to my back sir, those hover drone things got a lucky shot in, but they're pretty easy for me to outrun, I'm taking some civilians towards Eden Prime's own medical facility," the scout explained.

"The plan was to bridge them to our ship," Orion said.

"I know big bot but we cant cramp the G1 full of refugees and Eden Prime's medical facilities are better equipped to handle certain wounds," Bumblebee flipped over a hill and opened his doors, allowing three civilians to exit with a burnt farmer.

"Thank you," one of the men said as a doctor came out with a stretcher.

"We're way out of our depth here big bot," Bumblebee sighed as the humans rushed into the hospital.

"Protect the hospital Bumblebee, Ironhide, Cliff Jumper are there any more wounded in your area?" Orion asked.

"We couldn't find any Orion," Cliff Jumper said.

"Blaster, bridge the remaining people in the housing units to the G1, then take them to the medical facilities on the colony, the hospitals will need human volunteers to assist them, Ironhide and Cliff Jumper you both drive around the outer rims of the colony, find isolated farming communities and assess them for transport to the hospitals," Orion explained.

"What are you going to be doing Orion?" Ratchet asked.

"Investigating that ship," Orion narrowed his optics before running at the colossi.

He jumped over an energy blast and beheaded the tank like creature. Swinging around, Orion cut another colossus in half, and then deflected the bullets fired by another. The Autobot soldier rammed through one of the colossi, lifting its legs off of the floor and cutting its belly. He used the Geth as a shield, blocking blasts fired by its allies before throwing the wrecked body aside. Orion swung his axe left and right, beheading one colossus after another. Twirling the axe in his hands, Orion jumped at the final colossus and split its head apart. He folded the axe back to its deactivated state and slammed his fist into the ground. The parts of his body began folding, linking together. Wheels folded out of his back, which became the belly of a truck. His transformation complete, Orion blazed his rocket boosters and rammed through the rocky terrain in front of him, heading straight for where the hellish ship lingered.

* * *

><p>Ashley Williams ran faster than she ever had in her life. Adrenaline and determination influenced her combat performance in a way it never had before. She was fast enough to outrun Geth drones, but she wouldn't let fear take her. A strike against her barrier, pushing her shoulder as if it had been shoved served to remind her that she didn't want to die running. She jumped, turning and landing on her back. The barrel of her pistol flared, bringing down her two pursuers. Ashley rose from the grass and looked towards the Geth in horror. They ignored her, and instead placed a soldier onto some kind of platform. He had been stripped of his armour and was just regaining consciousness. A spike suddenly shot out of the platform, skewering him in midair. With their work done, the Geth pulled out their pulse rifles and turned to Ashley. An orange aura suddenly covered the Geth,s causing them to twitch and spark. Two bullets then bought them down. Shepard and her team emerged from the trees behind Ashley, causing her to sigh in relief as she regained her breath.<p>

"Are you all right?" Shepard asked the marine.

"Just a few scrapes ma'am, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the two twelfth," Ashley said.

"Commander Shepard of the Normandy, I need a status report Williams!"

"We were patrolling the area when the attack hit, they ambushed us ma'am, took us completely by surprise, the rest of my squad went down and I've been fighting for my life ever since," the gunnery chief explained.

Nihlus knelt by the body of a Geth, activating his Omni-tool to run a diagnostic. The memory was fried manually once the bullets hit the Geth's vital areas. He looked at the machine, comparing it to archive records of Geth given to the council by the Quarians. They turned over basic information for the Citadel species in the event the Geth ever returned; in exchange the Citadel council didn't interfere with Quarian pilgrimages.

"They're definitely Geth," the spectre said.

"The Geth haven't been seen outside the veil for thousands of years, why come back now?" Kaidan asked.

"Doesn't matter at the moment, Williams what do you know about the beacon?" Shepard asked.

"It should just be a few clicks ahead of us, the dig sight is straight ahead."

"Good, take point and show us the way."

"Yes ma'am, time for some payback," Ashley narrowed her eyes as she replaced her pistol with her rifle.

"What about that broadcast, about the Autobots?" Kaidan asked.

"I heard bits of it, it didn't make a lot of sense to me," Ashley said.

Shepard ducked behind cover, firing bursts from her rifle to bring down the Geth ahead of them. She climbed over a rock and kept her Omni-tool active. Incineration tech flew from her hand, burning a Geth rocket trooper to slag. Kaidan ripped rocks off of the walls with his biotics, creating makeshift cover that protected the squad from the approaching Geth troopers. Ashley, Nihlus and Shepard then gunned the troopers down with rifle fire.

"They certainly didn't sound human, the voices almost seemed metallic," Shepard said.

"A Geth trick maybe?"

"It seems possible Lieutenant Alenko," Nihlus muttered.

"Lets not count out the possibility of help yet gentleman, I'd rather not have a repeat of Shanxi," Shepard said.

"I agree," Ashley nodded.

"You believe this may be a first contact scenario?" Nihlus asked.

"I'm just saying, lets keep an open mind until we have evidence that states otherwise, making assumptions and not listening to all the facts is dangerous, at the same time we should be cautious enough to be ready for a fight if it comes," the N7 explained.

She relaxed her posture slightly as they entered an area with digging equipment around it.

"This is it, the beacon was right here it must have been moved," Ashley said.

"By our side or the Geth?" Kaidan asked.

"Hard to say, there were lodgings for the archaeologists ahead maybe we'll find something there," Ashley suggested.

"Move out," Shepard said, leading the squad over the hill.

After a few minutes of walking the team arrived at the lodgings for the archaeologists, expecting a fight. The Geth forces there however were decimated, the 'dragon's teeth' had been destroyed and the metallic, humanoid figures that had been impaled on them had been torn apart. One had been slammed repeatedly against the rocks, its head mashed to pieces.

"What the hell happened here?" Ashley asked.

"Looks like something big," Nihlus said.

Shepard knelt to the ground curiously running her fingers over the markings left by whatever stampeded through the camp. Whatever it was walked with huge metallic boots, but as it got further and further to the end of the camp the foot prints turned into huge tire marks, the kind used by vehicles that carried heavy loads. Nihlus noticed movement near one of the huts and aimed his rifle.

"Come out slowly," he said.

Shepard and her squad turned to the huts, but relaxed as a man and woman stepped out. They were scientists judging from their uniforms. The woman seemed understandably nervous; the man seemed creepily bright for some reason.

"Thank god, we thought you were Geth," the woman said.

"No need to whisper, things will be better now," the man said.

"Hush Manwell!"

"Were you two with the research team?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, we found the beacon a few days ago, we were conducting some tests when the Geth arrived. Manwell and I managed to hide in one of the huts, but our other colleagues were," the woman held her mouth in disgust, "They were stripped and then impaled on those spikes, a few minutes later they were turned into those things…I couldn't watch!"

"What did you see?" Nihlus asked the man.

"A fellow Turian, a servant of the enemy!"

"What?" Nihlus widened his eyes slightly.

"The end of humanity is upon us, the age of the organic is over."

"What's wrong with him?" Shepard asked.

"Manwell is a good scientist, but brilliance and madness are often two sides of the same coin," the woman sighed.

"Is it madness to see the future, to know that the end is coming, that no matter what we do our world will end?"

"What did all of this?" Kaidan asked, gesturing to the destruction around him.

"You wont believe us if we tell you, god I'm beginning to think I'm mad too…it was a giant of some kind, as big as a Mako, a robot perhaps or a mech, whatever it was it jumped down from the rocks and decimated the Geth forces and then it changed," the woman explained.

"It transformed, folded around, clickity click, click, sheeshashaha!" Manwell made strange movements with his hands, as if simulating the effect.

"It transformed into some kind of truck and then drove away!"

Ashley and Kaidan looked at one another, both sceptical to the truth in the story. Nihlus and Shepard however analysed the woman's expression, she could hardly believe what she had seen, but she had seen it. She was telling the truth, and that made the two elite operatives uneasy.

"Something obviously left those tracks, where do they lead Ashley?" Shepard asked.

"The tram to the space port, that might be where they moved the beacon to," Ashley said.

Shepard nodded her head and gestured for the squad to follow her.

"You two remain here, wait for an alliance team," she said.

* * *

><p>Orion continued driving through the hallway of rocks, swerving with every corner and jumping over bigger rocks in the road that would have damaged his wheels. He transformed when he reached the clearing and overlooked the spaceport tram station. Dragon's teeth were set on the path towards the tram, piled on top of them were bodies, humans converted to techorganic zombies. Orion was astonished when he analysed the composition of the husk creatures. Their DNA had been stripped away, anything that had made the organics unique had been replaced with coding and terabytes of software that formed only one principal emotion, hatred, hatred of organics. The husks were specifically designed to kill organics on sight. But Orion forgot the husks and looked up at the astonishingly grand ship looming over the space port.<p>

"Primus," he muttered, taken aback by not just the scale and design, but the will of the monster.

He could feel its hatred for all living things. With every inhuman screech the ship went out Orion felt his spark shrink. Even the matrix, a relic of immense importance to his people seemed insignificant in comparison to the creature. Orion widened his optics as the orbs on the surface of the ship glowed. He knew eyes when he saw them, and he knew when he was being watched. Orion drew his attention to the port and narrowed his optics at the figure standing, looking at him with only mild interest, as if he was no threat at all. But the man was just a simple Turian male, though his facial markings were very different from images of most Turians Orion had analysed. He wore silver armour and had a black cybernetic arm that greatly resembled the Geth's three fingered hands.

'He's no refugee,' Orion thought.

The ship's tentacles suddenly straightened and energy shot out of them. Orion immediately dived out of the beams path. The shockwave threw him sideways, while the beam itself cut through the landscape.

"Orion are you all right?" Jazz asked.

"Yes Jazz, stay focused on civilians, do not attempt to engage that ship," Orion crawled onto his feet and looked up at the sky.

The ship was beginning its flight into the orbit, caring not for whatever defence forces still remained, as if it was close to achieving its objective and had reason to relax. Orion looked to the port and noticed that the Turian was gone. He noted the Turian's presence for the future contact he would have with the Citadel species. Walking down the path, Orion noticed the presence of survivors inside the nearby hut. He ignored them, his priority had to be investigating that shady Turian and discovering why that creature was so interested in the spaceport.

"Boss bot!" Orion heard over his radio.

"What is it Blaster?" he asked.

"On a hunch I launched a drone to do a scan of the area, I picked up Cybertronian tech in the space port," the communications officer explained.

Orion stopped walking, the news had left him in shock.

"The position of Bumblebee and the others…"

"Bumblebee's away from Ironhide and Cliff Jumper but he isn't anywhere near the space port, and what I found is specifically a spark signature, no armour or weapons detected just a bare protoform, but the Energon signature was unlike anything I've ever seen, it has too much power to actually be a protoform but all of the readings are right," Blaster explained.

"I need to get to the space port, and find some answers," Orion growled.

"Understood sir, I'll keep you updated if I find out anything else," Blaster said.

Orion walked until he reached the tram terminal. He jumped onto the tracks, changing into his truck mode. The drive would be short at his top speed and he intended to find out just what was going on at the colony.

* * *

><p>Shepard and her team looked at the trail of devastation that had been formed by the red beam. The Geth ship clearly had a hatred for their new friend, if the science team's statement at the destruction was anything to go on. She heard Ashley mutter a silent prayer behind her, looking in horror at the people impaled on the dragon's teeth. It was understandable; some of the husks were probably old friends. But as the spikes began to slide down, activating the husks on them Ashley stood her ground. She took the sniper rifle off her back and took aim at the farthest husk. Hatred influenced her aim, causing her first shot to miss. Kaidan fired his pistol at the nearest husk, bringing it down before it could reach Ashley. Her second shot bought the next husk down and she quickly drew her shotgun blowing a third husk back. Shepard looked to Nihlus, who was already moving to flank the husks. He emerged from the rocks, splitting the heads of the husks open with his shotgun.<p>

"Good job team, secure the area, check your targets," Shepard shot two downed husks with her pistol, once in the chest and again in the head for good measure.

"Survivors Shepard," Nihlus pointed to the hut on their right.

The hut doors opened and a trio of dockworkers walked out with their arms raised.

"Easy, we're coming out, we're not armed," the leader said.

Nihlus remained still, observing Shepard as she interrogated the survivors on the attack and on the presence of the 'transformer'. He noted her professional demeanour and how whilst questioning them on their small time smuggling ring, she remained on the priority of the beacon. Missions of the Spectre's calibre were all about prioritisation. But Nihlus still couldn't shake away his concern over a Turian being on Eden Prime, and so close to where that huge ship had been. When they met Powell, the leader of the small scale smuggling ring, not even his disgust over the man's laziness and interference in the supply lines of the marines could wipe away his concern. Nihlus liked to think that being on the field gave him a perspective the council didn't have.

"You son of a bitch, we're out here trying to protect your sorry ass and alls you can think about is how to rip us off," Ashley's anger with Powell was understandable, but it was enough to put Nihlus's attention back on the present.

"Turn over the grenades, now!" Shepard snarled.

"Here take them, my smuggling days are over," Powell said hastily.

"A lot of people died here, a lot of people who could have used these grenades Powell, tell us what you saw and I'll consider not reporting you to the authorities," Shepard said.

"Okay, well I was behind the crates catching forty winks, as I usually do between deliveries and then all of a sudden that ship comes down from the skies, Geth drop onto the ground and start killing everyone. Oh god, it was horrible, the Geth put survivors onto those spikes, a few seconds later a Turian comes by, looking around and then he starts talking to someone over the radio," Powell explained.

"What did he say?" Nihlus asked.

"He said he would meet 'Megatronus' by the beacon, and then that ship unleashes this giant beam and roars as if it was mad about something, the Turian left and then a few seconds afterwards this giant, red and blue robot walks by. My god I thought I was hallucinating for a moment!"

"It seems a lot of people gave been hallucinating," Ashley muttered.

"Can't wait to see this robot for myself," Shepard said.

"Then lets get to the space port and secure the beacon," Nihlus said.

"Careful Nihlus, that sounded a lot like an order!"

"Old habits Shepard, you lead the way," Nihlus flashed the Turian equivalent of a smile as Shepard took point.

Shepard walked to the tram station, where a regiment of Geth Primes had already been decimated by whatever rolled through there. The tram itself was intact however. She stepped onto the tram with her teammates and pulled on the lever. It would take them to the spaceport, where hopefully the beacon would be waiting. Shepard however, knowing that there the journey would take time, contacted the Normandy.

"Captain Anderson, what's the status of the Geth forces?" she asked.

"They are beginning to pull out Shepard, we've also picked up communiqué from around the colony, all of the wounded are being gathered at medical facilities across Eden Prime, they're all talking about how transformers saved them," Anderson explained.

"Then you'll never guess what we've been hearing from the survivors we run into," Shepard said.

"It seems unbelievable Shepard, but Navigator Pressly managed to get visual confirmation of these beings, a red one with horns on his head actually waved at the Normandy!"

"Could they be an offshoot of the Geth, or maybe there are actually mechs with pilots," Kaidan suggested.

"If any of the factions developed mech technology like that we would have heard about it," Nihlus said.

"Well our transformer was heading this way, lets see whether he's secured the beacon for us," Shepard grinned.

* * *

><p>Across the colony, the members of the Autobot team began making their reports. Jazz looked at his monitor, seeing the Geth ships exiting the orbit. Ironhide shot down a squad of Geth drones and put his hand to his ear.<p>

"All enemies confirmed wrecked boss bot," he said.

Bumblebee drove into the hospital again, transforming and placing a wounded girl on the pavement.

"Quit gawking and help this girl, she's wounded," he growled at the nearby doctors.

The scout looked up to see the G1 hovering over the area. The main hatch opened and Ratchet emerged in his ambulance form. He stopped at the main entrance, opening his back door as two paramedics came to his aid.

"This man's legs were crushed by rubble, I cauterised the wounds but he still needs antibiotics. I have approximately thirty-two major injured onboard my ship, my Minicons will assist you in transferring them to medical quarters," Ratchet explained.

"Oh my god," one of the paramedics gasped.

"Calm down Shia we've seen worse things today, listen, we'd love to take everyone in but we're getting too many patients and not enough volunteers. Take some of our patients that don't have life threatening wounds, there are medical facilities on the Citadel that'll be able to better help them," the other, more levelheaded medic explained.

"I can leave some of the Minicons with you," Ratchet said.

"Thanks, but I think our patients have seen enough machines for one day, thank you for the help, a lot of these people would have died if not for you coming here."

"Like we said, we're here to help," Bumblebee said.

Ratchet transformed to robot mode, astonishing the two medics, and causing the nervous one to fall onto his back in shock.

"All wounded are accounted for, the minicons will be transferring more patients onto the ship Jazz, Arcee get off the gunnery station and assist with the transfer," Ratchet ordered.

"This is Cliff Jumper, just gave the last bit of resistance a taste of the horns, the city district is secure!"

"Geth communications are still lingering at the space port, no reported incidents across the colony, looks like we got everyone guys," Blaster said.

"How are things on your end boss bot?" Jazz asked.

"I'm at the space port, the Geth have planted explosives on the foundations," Orion said.

"By Primus," Ratchet gasped.

Orion took several missiles to his back. But he remained focused on the explosive in front of him. Bullets scraped against his armour but he remained adamant in his mission, tearing out parts of the bomb. It wasn't the most graceful or intelligent of disarmaments but it got the job done. He turned to the tramway and saw four organics exit the tram. The Geth immediately noted their presence, and the organics looked up at Orion. He jumped from the platform, taking a missile fired by the Geth at the organics.

"Orion are you okay?" Ratchet asked.

"Get onto the ship and get out of here, those charges were planted to destroy the colony so that no one would know about the Geth attack," Orion explained.

"Demolition charges, the Geth must have planted them," the male human stated as the two females aimed their weapons at Orion.

"Stop I am not your enemy," Orion said as he pulled out his path blaster.

The organics tensed, preparing for an imminent attack. But the blast from the cannon flew past them and slammed into the Geth snipers and rocket troopers. Orion then climbed onto the left platform and rushed towards the demolition charge. He slid to a halt, taking hits to his shoulder. Ripping off the panel, Orion tore out the explosives and the wires, again an ungraceful disarming technique. The organics had to move with more concern; the human male disarmed the demolition charge with greater ease, leaving the charge itself intact.

"It spoke our language," Shepard said.

"And it seems to be disposing of the charges without concern for its safety," Nihlus said.

"We're going to help it out and find out what it knows afterwards," Shepard took aim with her rifle and gunned down two Geth troopers. "Alenko, can you disarm the other charges?"

"I'll need covering fire commander," Kaidan said.

"Then you've got it," Shepard said as she, Ashley and Nihlus moved up the bridge.

Kaidan biotically launched himself onto the platform, shooting two Geth that approached him. He activated his biotic barrier and run down the platform. His gunners bought down one Geth after another, giving him the cover he needed. Kaidan slid past a Geth prime, just as Orion landed on the platform.

"Prime huh? Not much of a Prime to me!" Orion growled as he picked the Geth up and slammed it into the floor.

Kaidan opened the panel of the bomb and began cutting wires with his Omni tool. He widened his eyes slightly as several husks ran towards him. Orion however kicked the husks, flattening them against the wall. Kaidan cut the final wire on the bomb and picked up his pistol, he shot two troopers and pointed his pistol at Orion. But the transformer ran, breaking through the railings in front of him and jumping onto the platform overlooking the ruined landscape.

"Shepard, I found the beacon," Kaidan called to his commander.

Shepard, Ashley and Nihlus ran quickly to Kaidan's side. They looked to see Orion staring at the beacon.

"A Prothean beacon, this society really did move forward on their technology," Orion muttered.

Wires stretched from his fingers, linking with the beacon. Orion widened his eyes as images flashed before his optics. The information was corrupt but it painted a brutal picture, a planet burning, and organics dying at the hands of synthetic husks. A creature of both organic flesh and mechanical circuitry opened its mouth, releasing an inhuman yell. It was then that Orion realised he had also been screaming, and that the damaged nature of the beacon's information had caused some of his limbs to shut down temporarily. He rolled onto his front, looking to his side to see the four organics aiming their small weapons at him.

"What did you do to the beacon?" the apparent leader demanded.

"Do not go near that beacon, the information is damaged," Orion said.

"What do you mean?" the second female asked.

"Listen to me now," Orion snarled as he rose to his knees, placing his hand on the left side of the humans, bringing his face forward so that his eyes would match the leaders.

To her credit the woman didn't back down, she showed true courage in the face of an overwhelmingly advanced enemy.

"My name is Orion Pax, I and the members of my crew are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron, I have in my possession the information from that beacon and will be willing to turn it over and allow myself to be taken prisoner if my crew are given safe passage into the Citadel," the Autobot captain explained.

"This really is a first contact situation?" the woman asked.

"_Bah-weep-graaagnah wheep nini bong!"_

"Careful boss, people's reaction to the universal greeting varies, let's hope they decide to have throw us a party like the Junkions did," Blaster muttered.

_"Bah-weep-graaagnah wheep nini bong,"_ Orion repeated as he touched the side of his head.

Shepard and her crew widened their eyes in terror as Orion's advanced holographic display warped the scenery around them. They saw what the beacon contained, images of unknown beings dying, cities and planets burning as bio synthetic creatures like the husks screamed.

"By the spirits," Nihlus muttered.

"This, this could be fabricated," Shepard said.

"I have no evidence to disprove that," Orion said.

"Then why should I trust you?"

"An act of faith, I am wilfully surrendering myself, but if it pleases you take the beacon and see for yourself!"

Shepard focused her attention on the beacon and sighed.

"Normandy, the beacon is secure, we have a prisoner for pick up, make sure there is space in the cargo hold and get some heavy weapons out," she explained.

"Orion are you sure about this?" Ratchet asked over the radio.

"We already have some of their people, its only fair that they take one of us as well," Orion said.

"Roger that commander…hold on there's an unknown aircraft heading towards your position, from the south," Joker said.

Shepard turned away from the beacon and looked towards the sky.

"Is that one of yours?" she asked Orion.

Orion turned and narrowed his optics at the aircraft approaching. He gasped in horror as the figure transformed, revealing it's bare, primitive but otherworldly design, even by the standards of Cybertronians. Its head was narrow and stretched upwards and downwards; fins were set out across either side of the head. The figure had black armour with blue and silver fins and vents across it, its eyes glowed a menacing red colour.

"I can't be," Orion gasped. "GET AWAY FROM THE BEACON!" he yelled.

He lightly pushed Ashley, Kaidan and Nihlus aside and rolled, grabbing Shepard and jumping away from the beacon. The dark figure landed at the beacon, slamming his lance into the ground and grabbing the Prothean tech. Orion rolled onto his back, with Shepard on his chest. The two watched as the creature crushed the Prothean beacon, releasing sparks of green energy across the floor.

"I'm guessing he's not as friendly as you," Shepard said.

"Far from it, your world is in great danger, we're all in great danger," Orion placed Shepard on the ground and pulled his axe off of his back.

He stood his ground, but his spark quivered in fear. The figure stood before him, twirling his legendary lance was a relic of Cybertron's past. One of the first thirteen Primes, banished from the order by his brothers and believed to have decayed eons ago. Megatron's namesake, Megatronnus or as every Cybertronian from both the Autobots and Decepticons referred to him as the Fallen.

Next Chapter 4: Megatron

* * *

><p>Next time Orion engages the Fallen, in a battle that costs the Normandy crew, meanwhile Jetfire tries to convince the approaching forces of the Autobot general Longarm Prime to defect, Megatron however, gunning for the Prime launches a furious attack with the Stunticon and Combaticon teams.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

In this chapter, I introduce an element of mystery to the story, also if you're a fan of Bulkhead...well I did warn you

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 4: Megatron

Megatronnus, the namesake of Megatron and the person in Cybertronian history that its people most compared the Decepticon leader to. For in the golden days of Cybertron he was the finest warrior and led Cybertron into an age where all Cybertronians were born and raised into their intended purpose. But Megatronnus wanted the caste system to be absolute, for Cybertronians to be robbed of their individuality, for the Primes to remain the sole beings with emotion on Cybertron. He led a small movement that ultimately failed and his name from them on was the Fallen one. Though Orion liked to think of him as the first of many fallen Cybertronian leaders. Even though there was still peace, the independence and freedom of the people was always under threat and it became more apparent as time went by. The Cybertronian leaders saw no room to improve themselves, to expand beyond the stars or to alter their societal structure. As a result many Cybertronians died in the Energon mines, as a result of the council's lack of concern. Orion saw the possibility of corruption and when the Protheans arrived and Megatron began his movement, Orion joined to help his home world and restore justice to Cybertron, for in his eyes the old ways of the council had become unnecessary. He became inspired by the words of another resident of Kaon, a gladiator whom rose up in violent rebellion and declared that self determination was the right of all sentient beings, words that inspired many from the downtrodden community of Kaon, including Megatron himself to become more than what they were. Orion went from a dockworker to a clerk at the capital's hall of records, and then when his people needed him he became a soldier.

In many ways Orion saw the Fallen as the representation of everything wrong with the old system. But he didn't see Megatron as the perfect idol he once did, in fact the two Megatron's were greatly alike. Looking into the eyes of the Fallen Orion saw the anger and hatred he saw from Megatron when he drove away the Protheans. The Fallen however, his hatred was for all living things, just like that strange ship. Orion cast his optics to the organics around him as the Fallen did. He narrowed his optics at the Fallen and took a step forward, banging his foot deliberately to attract the monster's attention. The Fallen narrowed his own optics at Orion and raised his spear.

"GET CLEAR!" Orion yelled at his charges, swinging his axe wildly at the Fallen.

Shepard and her team ducked for cover as the two giants collided. Orion and the Fallen rolled off of the platform, across the ruined plains that it overlooked. The Fallen raised his spear, thrusting it at the Autobot leader. Orion dodged one strike after another, preparing to counterattack.

_He grabbed his enemy's head and savagely slammed him into the ground. But he didn't stop there, the roar of the crowd demanded more. Lifting his axe over his head he swung down, splitting the bot's head open. Blood leaked across the floor, along with sparks from the fallen warrior's head. The victor however, despite the praise the crowd gave him lowered his head; there was no honour in his victory._

Orion shook his head, he felt as if he had gone to someplace else. He didn't even have time to wonder what had happened to his perceptions as the Fallen threw his arm forward. Blue energy flowed from the Fallen's armour and the energy formed an overwhelming force that threw Orion and even chunks of the ground backwards. Orion rolled across the floor, shaking the dirt out of his optics before looking towards the Fallen.

"Keep your optics focused sparkling," the bot cackled.

He was every bit the psychopath the historical records indicated. But his power was beyond the predictions of even Sentinel Prime.

"Shepard, that robot, it just used biotics," Kaidan said, looking down at the Fallen.

"Don't get too close Kaidan, we'd only get in the way in this fight, Normandy how far are you from our position?" Shepard asked.

"Two minutes Shepard, making our approach run now," Joker said.

"Be careful Joker," Shepard said.

The Fallen looked to the clouds as the Normandy began a descent approach.

"Oh my god, what is that?" Pressly asked.

"Can't be friendly," Joker muttered.

The Fallen raised his hand, lifting chunks of rock from the ground. He threw the rocks forward like biotic missiles. Joker reacted just in time, impressing the Fallen with his reaction time. The Normandy weaved between the missiles and swooped over the Fallen. Orion threw his axe at the Fallen, narrowly missing his head.

"Round two you piece of SLAG!" Orion roared as he ran at the Fallen.

The Fallen twirled his spear around, letting out a laugh that echoed through Orion's processors. Rebel Autobot and former Prime both clashed, launching one another into the air.

* * *

><p>Megatron stood on the bridge of the G2, looking over the work being carried out by the Constructicons to repair the mass relay. His second eye in Shockwave however watched Rodimus closely. The Decepticon science officer didn't trust the Autobot traitor or his cabal.<p>

"The Constructicons, how dare you Soundwave, I demand to take the Combaticons," Megatron grit his teeth together, an annoying sound had filled his processors, like nails against a chalkboard.

Starscream glared at Soundwave in a way he never would have glared at Sixshot or Megatron. Megatron was giving the seeker commander token forces, troops he had no real like for, a fitting command for Starscream. He had tried numerous times to convince or cajole the intelligence officer into transferring more elite troops to his command.

"**You can not threaten, nor can you intimidate, Starscream inferior, Soundwave superior!"**

"Did you seriously talk in the third-person, what is your glitch you goalless piece of slag," Starscream growled.

"The fact that he has no goals other than Megatron's will is what makes him a more valuable soldier Starscream," Sixshot said as he walked towards the two bots.

Starscream's expression noticeably changed as he stepped back slightly. He narrowed his eyes at Sixshot and glared, but that was all he would ever do to defy the six changer.

"You will use the forces we give you, a bot whom abandoned his soldiers to watch has no right to complain," Sixshot said.

"To the pit with you Sixshot," Starscream snarled before he walked away.

The seeker commander passed a former soldier under his command. Jetfire exchanged glares with his former commander before shoulder barging him.

"Jetfire, I would say its good to see you again, but considering the circumstances," Sixshot sighed.

No matter how hard he tried Jetfire couldn't bring himself to hate Sixshot. The warrior served Megatron, but he did so with honour, with no hatred in his spark. Jetfire walked up behind Megatron and looked over the bridge crew. They had all converted their armour into the purple colours of the Decepticons. Even the symbols on their chests had changed, to the rageful mask of the one whom had inspired the Decepticon rebellion, not Megatron but another resident of Kaon.

"The Autobot colours suit you Jetfire," Megatron said, without turning to face the aerial bot.

"Is that a compliment?" he asked.

"What do you know of Orion Pax?" the Decepticon leader asked.

"He was a record clerk at Iacon, led a defence when the Protheans attacked," Jetfire said.

"Is that really all there is to him?" Megatron asked.

"There's always more to bots, even Starscream…well I suppose that pushes it!"

Megatron chuckled at Jetfire's joke. He turned his head, looking Jetfire in the eyes.

"How many of your brothers have you killed since you betrayed us the first time?" he asked.

"I've killed more Autobots than Decepticons," Jetfire said.

"**Incoming transmission, diverting to main screen," **Soundwave pushed the buttons on his chest, diverting the communiqué to the holographic projector in front of Megatron.

Megatron's eyes narrowed in fury as he looked upon the holographic figure that appeared in from of him. His arms were elongated, with tank tracks around them like armour, pipes on his back connected to a mask on his mouth whilst a third red eye twitched on his forehead. The Autobot insignia glowed on the chest of his grey armour.

"Longarm Major," Megatron snarled, identifying the Autobot general.

"Its Longarm Prime now you slagging scrap heaper," Longarm spoke with that air of arrogance and superiority not even Starscream would use in front of Megatron.

"I see in their final moments the council sought to make one more Prime," Megatron huffed.

"Its takes more than brute might to be named a Prime Megatron, my cunning and intellect made me comparable to Sentinel, after all it was my plans that bought an end to that pathetic rebellion that inspired you and many others of the lower castes to rise up," Longarm explained.

"In opposition of the corrupt caste system the council of elders had enforced on the planet for centuries," Sixshot said.

"Ah Sixshot, still content wasting your strength on the side of savages I see, and Jetfire, I knew your defection wouldn't last, I told Magnus to put you offline long ago. Cup sent a message across the stars; Orion Pax now bears the matrix, what kind of joke is this, where is Rodimus?" the Prime asked.

"He is preparing for an operation that could serve as the first step towards rebuilding Cybertron, who is Orion Pax to you?" Megatron asked.

"He…he is but a lowly records clerk," Longarm hesitated silently.

"Is that so? A records clerk whom inspired the masses to fight back against the Protheans and defend Iacon, yet was humble enough to give the glory to Rodimus Prime, how the all spark must have blessed him with such strength and wisdom, Rodimus said as much," Megatron explained.

"I demand your surrender Megatron," Longarm said.

"HA! Spare me the bad comedy; you don't have nearly enough warriors to overcome my forces, for the sake of your men surrender and face judgement for your crimes against Cybertron," Megatron declared.

Longarm rolled his head back and laughed, almost hysterically to the point where his men looked at him, wondering if he truly believed he could win.

"I am the one with authority here Megatron, the last of the Primes," he declared.

"No, you are a traitor to our people, the deaths of ten thousand sparklings is as much on your hands as it is on the Protheans," Megatron growled.

"How dare you, you piece of slag," Longarm slammed his hand into the rest of his chair.

"You do not recall, the massacre of D-17, the chamber that housed the incubation units of protoforms that had yet to see outside of those walls? How you ignored repeated requests, no, how you simply gave up on our young? What was it you told me Longarm when I begged for reinforcements?"

"_Just give up!"_

_Megatron looked at the holographic projection of Longarm in horror. By Primus the bot was actually smiling, he had always hated Megatron and his followers, whom only wished to improve Cybertron. D-17 was a district-sized facility dedicated to the formation of new sparks and Protoforms, the growth and care of Cybertron's young. Small metallic children floated inside incubation chambers, being provided all the Energon they needed as the central systems they needed to survive were formed. Megatron stepped away from the holographic screen as Longarm's image disappeared. The hopelessness of his situation began to sink in. Prothean drop ships were approaching, they had a significant advantage because they had been given the opportunity to strike first. When initial sightings of the Prothean armada was confirmed, the council refused against Megatron and Ultra Magnus's warnings to prepare the army. They foolishly believed that a show of the planet's military might would only encourage the Protheans to attack. But the Prothean's hatred of anything that wasn't organic had become apparent from their first wave._

"_Megatron, what did the general say?" a nearby femmebot asked, cradling a protoform fresh from his incubation chamber._

_Megatron turned to the female, a silver bot with no armour for battle._

"_Ariel, take the child and go, this facility will be under attack soon," Megatron said._

"_The Protheans wouldn't dare attack a place for our young, would they?" Ariel asked._

"_They are a savage race, primitives with no idea what life truly is, in their eyes we are just machines," Megatron picked his sword up from the ground and looked at the weapon and then at the child Ariel held. "Go, take as many of the young as you can!"_

"_But what about you?"_

"_Megatron, Prothean fighters are on their way," a blue armoured robot with a metallic face said._

_Megatron turned to his future communications officer Soundwave and nodded his head._

"_Soundwave, oversee the evacuation of the young able to walk, force them to transform if you must, I will buy you as much time as I can," Megatron said as he jumped._

_He folded in midair, turning into his jet mode and dashing through the corridors of the facility. Megatron flew around the skyscraper-sized trees, the incubation chambers for thousands of young Cybertronians waiting to see their world burn. Upon reaching the outside of the facility, Megatron snarled in fury. Prothean tanks were gathering around D-17, ready to bombard it into dust. Fighters circled around Megatron, targeting him for deactivation. His focus however was on Longarm's ship the A1. It had been closer to D-17 but was instead flying towards Iacon, a place that had already been adequately protected. Longarm was abandoning the sparklings just to spite Megatron._

"_COME ON YOU MEATBAGS! I'M WHAT YOU SHOULD FEAR!" Megatron yelled, swooping down on the Prothean tanks and blowing them to bits with his nose mounted lasers._

_He transformed in midair, cutting two Prothean fighters apart before landing on an artillery unit, driving the blade into the cockpit. Then he dragged the blade across the floor, cutting apart Prothean infantry and flicking others away like insects. He kicked and flailed with his arms, squashing and throwing away the Protheans. Prothean tanks converged on Megatron, firing blasts into his back. He ran for cover and picked up the scrap maker shotgun of a nearby fallen trooper. Running from cover he fired shot after shot from the gun, ripping open tanks and decimating infantry troops. Transforming to jet mode again he flew into the air, destroying a squadron of bombers._

"_Is that all you can muSTAGH!" Megatron yelled as a particle beam struck his back._

_The beam disrupted his T-Cog, causing him to change back into robot form. He slammed into the ground, sliding across it and leaving a trail behind him. Megatron spat debris from his mouth and rose, drawing his sword to deflect more particle beams._

"_Megatron," a voice said weakly over the radio._

"_Ariel, are you all right?" Megatron asked, his eyes wide in concern._

"_They…they were inside…Protheans, slipped through the scanners…I've been hit…oil everywhere," Ariel's voice drifted as she limped through the halls of the facility._

_She rested on a wall, clutching her chest. Her spark chamber was exposed and the spark itself flickered._

"_Oh Primus, they destroyed him Megatronnus, they killed my child," Ariel whispered._

_Megatron's face fell, he didn't even move to cover as Prothean fighters swooped over him. The explosions from the missiles threw him back, ripping a chunk off of his shoulder._

"_Ariel, Soundwave, report," he ordered._

"_I'm on my way to Ariel positions, by Primus those monsters are putting charges on the trees, if even one goes off then the domino effect will topple all of the incubation chambers," Soundwave explained._

"_They're truly monsters Megatron, every last one of them, extremist, savage, primitive MONSTERS!" Ariel screamed._

_Megatron heard gunfire over the radio. Ariel must have picked up a weapon, distraught over the loss of her child._

"_TILL ALL ARE ONE!"_

"_FOR THE EMPIRE!"_

_Those two words preceded the explosion and Megatron watched in horror as the spark chambers began to topple. Like lumberjacks the Protheans cut the base of the chambers with explosive. Their mission was a suicide mission, purely to destroy the chambers that produced and care for the future generations of Cybertron._

"_NO!" Megatron yelled, flying into the heart of the falling debris._

_Everything became a blur to his sensors as he lost himself in the destruction. He took a few hits to his armour and fell to the ground, with several pieces of debris falling on top of him. Minutes after the destruction passed, Megatron burst from the rubble, looking at his surroundings with the desperate hope that someone survived. Instead he only found death. Protoforms had been scattered across the ground, one with the rubble, lifeless, it was like that no matter how far Megatron walked. However he came upon one single Protoform, a Cybertronian child clinging to life as her spark flickered._

"_Megatron," he heard from behind him._

_He ignored Soundwave and moved towards the sparkling. Soundwave slowly pushed the rubble off of him and looked at the destruction in shock._

"_Primus…Ariel was right," Soundwave said as he scanned the area, finding no trace of life save for Megatron, the failing protoform and one survivor crawling out of the rubble._

_The Prothean soldier crawled across the floor, his green blood leaking from his severed right leg. He looked up at Megatron as he held the Cybertronian child._

"_I can't help you, I'm sorry," the future lord of the Decepticons did something he would never do again, something the Protheans never thought they could do._

_He held the bot tight and cried, tears fell down to the ground._

"_No Cybertronians detected…no Cybertronians detected," Soundwave repeated until his voice turned hollow. __**"Prothean life signs detected!"**_

_The Prothean looked at Megatron as his eyes focused on him._

"_Regardless of whether you mourn or not, your world will burn machine," the soldier declared._

_Megatron dropped the lifeless body to the floor and grit his teeth together. His eyes glowed red, his concern over Soundwave's loss of emotions was gone, his sorrow was gone, even his desire to find Ariel was gone. He only had hatred left as he picked up the Prothean and bought him towards his face._

"_Machine? Machine? You think we are mere machines? We live and are born into this world with no knowledge, we gain that knowledge over a life of struggle, triumph, we love, we mourn…it is beyond the mind of a machine to hate, it is beyond the mind of a machine to enjoy killing those whom have wronged them…we are beyond machines," Megatron growled._

_The Prothean finally quivered in fear as Megatron opened his mouth._

"_I am beyond machines, because I do hate your kind and I WILL ENJOY KILLING EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" Megatron roared._

_The Prothean screamed before Megatron bit his head clean off. He spat the creatures head onto the floor and obliterated its body with a simple squeeze. He no longer saw the Protheans as a sentient species, their single minded dedication to their empire made them machines, no animals in his eyes. So he buried himself in hatred, for the Protheans that massacred his children and the old guard of Cybertron that let it happen._

"Our children died so you could become a Prime Longarm, the only reason the council deemed you worthy was because you saved their lives and what did they do for the war effort afterwards? It was Sentinel whom saved our people with the Arc, it was Ultra Magnus whom protected our borders, it was I who drove the savages away, towards the Armageddon beyond the relay whilst you stood on the sidelines protecting the weak council, and failing at it too, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO DECIDE CYBERTRON'S FUTURE!" Megatron yelled.

"You will fail Megatron, with Rodimus a traitor and Sentinel disappeared sole authority of the Autobots goes to me, I will have Ultra Magnus's fleet and Fortress converge on your forces and wipe you out," Longarm explained.

"My forces outmatch yours in terms of numbers and sheer power, surrender now and I will spare your crew," Megatron said.

"Longarm, please consider Megatron's offer, the A1 will not last under a direct assault," Jetfire said.

"Ha, a defector has no right to order me around, you will all fall," Longarm huffed before he cut communications.

"Soundwave, prepare the Combaticons and Stunticons," Megatron wasted no time in ordering a counter attack.

Jetfire looked at the bots Megatron was putting together. He narrowed his eyes at the spec ops teams. They were infamous not just for their effectiveness in battle, but their brutality. Onslaught of the Combaticons was an astounding tactician and Motormaster of the Stunticons was completely without mercy.

'This is going to be a massacre,' Jetfire thought. "Unless I do something about it," he squeezed his hand into a fist before running to the hanger bay.

* * *

><p>Shepard and her team looked at the battling giants, rolling across the landscape of Eden Prime. The Fallen continuously thrust his spear at Orion, scraping his armour. Orion replied with a vicious right hook. He attempted a wild haymaker, only for the Fallen to bash his mouth plate with the handle of his spear. Orion then crossed his arms together, blocking the old Prime's lance. With a shove Orion pushed the Fallen through a space shuttle. The Fallen cut the aircraft apart, then picked up a Kodiak and threw it at Orion. He dived to the side, drawing his path blaster. More dark energy surged from the Fallen's hand, lifting Orion off of the ground.<p>

"By Primus," he gasped before he was thrown into the hillside.

"Impressive warrior, perhaps you could've beaten me back in my days as a Prime, I admit I was weak then, I shared the weakness of those Primes," the Fallen explained.

"They were your brothers, you betrayed them," Orion growled.

"THEY WERE NO BROTHERS OF MINE! We had true power, power enough to rule over the younger species as gods, to create a true empire, you think Cybertron before the Protheans corrupted its core was powerful…the old Cybertron, my Cybertron was the realm of the gods!"

"You have been in exile for millions of years Fallen one, how did you know about the Prothean invasion?" Orion asked.

"I have seen, no experienced their demise, just as you have," the Fallen grinned as Orion narrowed his eyes.

The Fallen laughed, rolling his head back as Orion gripped the side of his head.

"I see, a little too much information in your memory banks?" he asked.

"Enough, you've destroyed the beacon what more do you want?"

"Power, absolute rule and death to all those whom refuse to kneel, SO KNEEL!" purple energy suddenly flew from the Fallen's hands, coiling around Orion like tentacles.

Shepard widened her eyes as the machine screamed in agony. Pain should not have been possible for it, yet still Orion scream. That's when Shepard realised that the existence of the 'transformers' changed everything everyone thought they knew about the evolution of machines. Shepard had no idea what exactly the transformers were, but she knew there was more to them than met the eyes. She removed her sniper rifle from her back and took aim at the Fallen's glowing red eyes.

"Shepard, what are you doing?" Nihlus asked.

"Lending a hand, Orion has the beacon data, I think its time we gave him the answer to his offer, Nihlus take cover behind the crates, Kaidan go up to that railing and see what you can do with that fuel tank and Ashley, get into cross fire position with the grenades, time to put them to use," Shepard explained.

"Commander I don't think…"

"Shepard gave you an order Alenko, get into position," Nihlus said.

Kaidan hesitantly nodded his head; Ashley was just as hesitant and didn't move to position as fast as Shepard hoped.

"Are you willing to gamble on this Shepard?" Nihlus asked over the radio.

"Yes I am, without regrets," Shepard said.

"That's why I picked you," Nihlus smirked.

Shepard walked to the edge of the railing and steadied her aim. The Fallen laughed as Orion fought to keep his knees off of the ground. He was powerful, but overconfident, to Shepard his fancy light shows and biotics meant nothing if she had him in her sights.

"Bulls eye asshole," she grinned.

She pulled the trigger, sending armour piercing round flying into the Fallen's right eye. The orb shattered and the Fallen clutched the side of his face in pain. Snarling like an animal he turned, looking up at the platform Shepard stood on. She immediately began falling back as the Fallen jumped into the sky. Orion stumbled forward and looked up at the platform. He watched as the Fallen swung his lance at the ground. Shepard dived to the side, narrowly dodging the lance and firing her pistol at the Fallen's face. An explosive suddenly collided with his shoulder. Ashley threw grenades from her pack, drawing the Fallen's attention away from Shepard. As Ashley and Nihlus shot at the Fallen, Kaidan began pulling at the nearby fuel tank with his biotics. He surrounded the tank with a field of blue energy, levitating it off of the ground. Orion meanwhile ran towards the wall and dug his fingers in, climbing towards the upper levels of the spaceport.

"Little insects, you should be worshipping me," the Fallen snarled.

"I'm an Atheist," Shepard retorted.

"Cocky fleshling," the Fallen raised his spear.

Suddenly, the fuel tank slammed into his back, throwing him into the wall.

"Nice hit Lieutenant, that should buy some time for the big guy to show up," Shepard said.

"What makes you think the big guy is on our side?" Ashley asked.

"Lets face it, he's been much nicer than this guy!"

"True."

Nihlus narrowed his eyes at the Fallen as he began to rise. He snatched the bag of grenades from Ashley and threw them at the fuel tank. Then he pulled out his pistol and shot the grenades. The force of the explosion was enough to throw Shepard and her team off of their feet. Shepard looked to the Turian and widened her eyes. Battle was confusing when it moved quickly and the destruction from the giants battling one another created fatal traps from the broken landscape. Nihlus had landed on a pipe, which had slid through his chest. He coughed weakly, spitting blue blood onto the floor.

"No," she gasped.

Orion climbed onto the platform and looked at the fragile, broken Turian in shock.

"Victory no matter the cost," Nihlus said.

"No matter the cost," Orion muttered.

He knelt down as Shepard rushed to her ally. She prepped the medi-gel on her Omni-tool and scanned the nature of the injury.

"I…can't feel much underneath my waist Shepard," Nihlus coughed.

"Ratchet, if you're in range," Orion spoke over his radio.

"I'm sorry Orion, but we can't send reinforcements via ground bridge, you'll have to make do with what the humans have," Ratchet explained, lowering his head in shame as he oversaw the Minicon's care for the injured humans.

"Normandy, we need immediate medical evac, Nihlus has taken a hit," Shepard said.

"We're on our way commander…wait, COMMANDER GET OUT OF THERE!"

Shepard and her crew widened their eyes as the Fallen burst out of the flames. His form was burning, yet not bothered by the flames, as if he was a creature of hell itself. The flames turned into purple, dark Energon as the Fallen raised his spear.

"Surprisingly, that hurt," he snarled.

"You go through me before you get to them," Orion said as he stepped in the Fallen's way.

"Gladly," the creature lunged forward.

Orion caught the handle of the Fallen's spear, stopping it inches from his face. The Fallen snarled like an animal as Orion slid backwards. Orion's optics narrowed, his body found a new source of power, the urge, the instinct to protect the people behind him, to hold the line. He tightened his grip on the Fallen's spear as his chest let out a small, subtle glow. It went unnoticed by Orion, the Fallen however looked at Orion's chest in horror, as if he had come spark to spark with his nightmare.

"Impossible, only a Prime can…NO!" he screamed, jumping away from Orion.

Orion threw the spear into the Fallen's shoulder and rushed at his enemy. The Fallen however took to the skies, flying faster than anything Orion had ever seen before. He swooped past the Normandy, causing the ship to vibrate subtly. Orion looked at his chest, there was no light shining on it. He wondered what force in the galaxy could make the Fallen Prime, the strongest and most ruthless of the old Cybertron leaders to run away in terror. It wasn't the ship Orion raised his hands to surrender to, the humans whom struggled to stabilise their friend's condition. Whatever it was, Orion hoped it would intervene the next time he would face the Fallen.

* * *

><p>Longarm Prime smashed his chair, his arm retracted to its original non-stretched position. The soldiers around Longarm looked at him with uneasy expressions, in particular young Autobot communications operator Sari. Already unique because of her organic name, her spark was formed from one of the numerous incubators saved by Megatron when he formed the Decepticon movement against the Protheans; she was the progeny or 'daughter' of two of Sentinel Prime's chief lab techs. Yellow armoured with her head based on the design of a helmet, Sari was not so much a combatant but a tech support officer. She opened a private channel to one of her friends, a former Wrecker called Bulkhead. Matching his name, Bulkhead was big and perhaps the strongest on board.<p>

"What's up Sari?" the thick-jawed bot asked.

"It's the commander, he's angry, I think he actually intends to fight Megatron," she said.

"What?" Bulkhead widened his eyes. "We don't have nearly enough firepower to take on the Nemesis, Megatron also has some of the finest warriors under his command, and we've got soldiers fresh out of boot camp," he explained.

"Don't I know it," Sari rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"Listen to me Sari, shut down the line, don't get caught sending private messages, keep your head down and there might be a chance that Megatron lets you live!"

"Not likely," she sighed.

"Sari, if you come face to face with Megatron don't try to fight, just surrender," Bulkhead said.

Sari lowered her gaze to her console and saw a blip on her radar. She immediately cut the line with Bulkhead and turned to the commander.

"Commander, incoming Autobot signature…he's hailing us sir!"

"On screen, and activate the turrets," Longarm commanded.

"This is Jetfire," the Autobot's jet form suddenly appeared on the main screen, flying towards the A1.

"Ah, come to defect again I see," Longarm laughed.

"No, I've told you Longarm and now I'm telling your men, everyone on the A1 abandon your posts and surrender to Megatron. He is approaching with the Combaticons and Stunticons, if you value being online then surrender and face imprisonment over destruction," Jetfire explained.

"HA! You believe my men will follow such an outlandish order, crew of the A1 you are the elite, stand with me and we will end Megatron's ridiculous rebellion against our authority, stand with the last of the true Primes!" Longarm declared.

"Longarm is no true Prime, the first to address him as such will have their voice box ripped out!"

Sari shook in fear as Megatron's voice echoed through her processors. His cold, unforgiving voice echoed through every inch of the ship, demanding a surrender. Bulkhead and his squad squeezed their blasters tightly. The Decepticon leader's reputation as a fighter was known amongst all Autobots. Jetfire swooped over the A1 as the crew on its surface rushed to their turrets.

"Please stop, your defiance will only get you a massacre," he said.

"If it's a massacre you want, then it's a massacre you'll get," Megatron declared.

He turned to his armada, low class seekers led by Soundwave. The intelligence officer pushed the buttons on his chest.

"Sir, communication systems have shut down throughout the ship," Sari gasped. "Even long range communications are out sir, we cant get a message to Ultra Magnus."

"To the pit with Ultra Magnus, I will rip out Megatron's spark myself," Longarm growled.

"Now our sensors are offline sir," Sari's hands shook as she stepped away from her console.

"Impossible, how can this happen?" Longarm asked.

"**Mission accomplished, Razorbeak, return to base!" **Soundwave commanded his robotic bird and saboteur.

Megatron flew at the front of the Decepticon attack force, the after burners on his jet mode left a trail of fire behind him.

"DECEPTICONS! WIPE THEM OUT!" he yelled.

"I thought he'd never ask," the Stunticon Wildrider said as he transformed to his car mode.

He and his teammates Dead End, Breakdown and Drag Strip landed on the surface of the A1. They fired the guns on the roofs of their car forms, cutting apart the Autobots rushing to the airlocks. Motormaster landed behind his team mates, firing shots from his sniper rifle at approaching Autobot sentries. The Combaticon flyers Blast off and Vortex swooped over the ship in their respective jet and helicopter forms, hitting the surface with missiles and blowing apart Autobot missile troopers. Onslaught landed with Swindle and Brawl. Swindle grabbed an Autobot trooper by his face and slammed him against a wall, before shooting his spark chamber. Brawl knocked two troopers back and then shot them both with his shoulder cannons.

"Lord Megatron, the team is on the surface, how goes the infiltration?" Onslaught asked, before blowing off an Autobot's head.

"As expected the defence is weak, shatter their hopes, combine now!" Megatron ordered.

"We've got the order boys," Onslaught said.

"YES!" Motormaster yelled in delight.

Onslaught flew upwards, folding his form until it resembled the torso of a metallic giant, complete with a head and cannons on his back. Swindle and Brawl both transformed, changing from their off road car and tank forms into a pair of legs. The monstrous torso linked with the legs as Blast Off and Vortex changed into a pair of arms. Hands shot out of the arms, squeezing into fists as they linked with the torso. The Autobots stumbled as the imposing monster walked across the ship, regarding it as a field to walk upon. They were not looking at any individual member of the Combaticons, they were running in fear of their true power, the destructive Decepticon formed from their hyper link, Bruticus. Not to be outdone, Motormaster and his team changed into their hyperlink forms. Each member of the Stunticons attached to the torso unit created by Motormaster. A head slid out of the body, smiling in satisfaction as the Autobots fired blindly, hoping to destroy him before he began his rampage. While Bruticus was a monster, Menasor was a giant, the Autobots could tell he was satisfied as he crushed their tanks and retreating car forms. Bruticus picked up groups of Autobots and threw them into space, letting them drift helplessly. He then released fire from his arms, melting rocket troopers around him.

"Fire, bring them down," the commander of a turret team said.

The two bots behind him loaded the rocket into the chamber and the main gunner took aim at Menasor. Soundwave flew over the cannon, opening his chest.

"**Rumble, Ravage eject and destroy!"**

The two Minicons, both sentient and equally as blood thirsty landed on the cannon. Rumble, a humanoid robot turned his hands into hammers and began slamming them against the ceiling.

"First we crack the shell, then we crack the nuts inside," he laughed.

The Autobot turret crew looked up at the ceiling as Rumble began to break through. Frenzy, Soundwave's robotic panther burst through the roof, sinking his teeth into the commander's neck. He ripped the Autobot's circuitry off of his throat and jumped at the closest Autobot. The young bot desperately fired his blaster, hitting the gunner by accident. As Ravage ripped into the trooper's head, Rumble jumped into the turret and crushed the gunner's head against the control console.

"Nuts cracked," Rumble said before he and Ravage changed into their cassette forms and returned to their master.

Jetfire let out a desperate yell as he flew directly into the Autobot hanger. He slammed his fist into the face of an aerial bot, throwing him against the wall. Then he kicked two and fired a wounding shot into one's chest.

"Do yourselves a favour, when Megatron comes through here put your hands up," Jetfire said.

He ran to the doorway, keeping his pistol raised. Jetfire looked at the Autobot symbol on his chest and wondered if he was doing the right thing. He defected from the Decepticons to Rodimus's command because at the time Rodimus had plans that made sense to him. Even when Rodimus went rogue against Sentinel and Magnus he chose to stay with the Prime, because his plan still made sense. Megatron was not unreasonable, when presented with a good argument he would give into logic. But today he had given into his anger and his hatred of the elitist Longarm. By Primus and his own spark Jetfire couldn't figure out whether he was truly in the right. No matter how hard he tried he was still consumed by the violent solution of the Decepticon order. He opened the door and dodged a stream of Autobot gunfire.

"Don't let them take the ship," the Autobot commander said.

"I'm not trying to take this ship, I'm TRYING TO SAVE IT!" Jetfire yelled as he transformed to jet mode and rammed the Autobot troopers.

He transformed and kicked a tall Autobot across the face, then stepped off of the shoulder of another and punched the commander in the head. Jetfire tripped the other two Autobots and then grabbed a forth, pushing him and the fifth against the wall. The sound of weapons fire alerted him that more Decepticon troops had breached the walls. He ran around the corner and his face fell in defeat. Two identical Decepticons were decimating the Autobot defenders, both jet types of similar size to Megatron. One was a blue and yellow bot who cleaved his enemies in two with a sword and the second had green and silver armour and mowed down Autobot gunners with a minigun. They were the brothers Dreadwing and Skyquake, just two more warriors of brutal efficiency whom chose loyalty to Megatron over their honour.

"Jetfire, good to see you have joined us in clearing out the rebels," Dreadwing said, putting his sword on his back.

"There are many more to clear out, Megatron has ordered every member of the crew to be executed for their crimes," Skyquake said.

"No, some may surrender, their only crime is having a stupid commander," Jetfire retorted.

Autobot troopers gathered at one of the blast doors. They prepared path blasters, rail guns and concussion rifles as the blast doors creaked. Bulkhead walked up behind the Autobots, preparing himself and his wrecking ball. The blast door was slowly torn open and the Autobots gasped in fear. Megatron himself stood at the doorway, holding it open.

"Its him, Megatron," some of the Autobots said.

"BLAST HIM YOU FOOLS!" Bulkhead yelled.

Megatron fired his fusion cannon, hitting the first two Autobots in front of him. Energy flew past him as he ran at the Autobots, firing shot after shot that hit its mark. He drew what appeared to be a staff from his back. Energon spikes suddenly slit out of the top, revealing it to be Megatron's mace. He crushed two Autobots before moving onto Bulkhead. The green armoured Autobot shot out his wrecking ball, scratching Megatron's shoulder. He widened his eyes as the Decepticon leader head butted him, knocking him back. Bulkhead began reeling in his wrecking ball, hoping to hit Megatron as it returned. But Megatron ducked, allowing the ball to return to Bulkhead's arm. He then rushed forward, delivering a series of brutal strikes to the former wrecker's body. Bulkhead felt one of the blows dislodge his jaw and another shatter his T-cog. Megatron span around and slammed his mace into Bulkhead's chest, sending him crashing through the door to the bridge. Bulkhead slid across the floor, stopping at Sari's feet.

"BULKHEAD!" she screamed, falling to her knees and looking at the blue spikes protruding from her friend's chest.

The Autobots looked to their leader, and any hope they had of Longarm rallying a defence was dashed. Their leader was just as scared as they were. Dreadwing and Skyquake stepped up behind their leader, a fearless bot and a warrior unlike Longarm.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Kill him, I order you to DESTROY HIM!" Longarm yelled.

"You'll have to get your own gears dirty for a change Longarm," Megatron said.

Longarm's body shook as he grit his teeth together.

"SLAAAAG!" he screamed, stretching his arms towards Megatron.

He grabbed Megatron's shoulders and pulled him up onto the command chair. Megatron instead welcomed the grapple; it gave him the range to slam his head against Longarm's. Longarm fell off of the chair and slammed back first onto the floor.

"Skyquake, Dreadwing, make sure no one interferes," Megatron said.

Megatron narrowed his eyes slightly as Jetfire entered the room. He then looked to Longarm, ejecting his fusion cannon and letting it fall to the ground.

"This one is mine," he raised his fists into a fighting stance.

Longarm thrust his fist towards Megatron, but the old gladiator punched the fist back. He rushed forward, punching Longarm multiple times across the face. Longarm attempted a wild haymaker, which Megatron blocked. The Decepticon leader then slammed his head into his hated enemy, throwing him against a nearby console. Megatron grabbed the back of Longarm's head and smashed his face into the radar screen. He pushed Longarm onto the floor. The Prime looked at his soldiers for help, but upon seeing the brutal markings on his face, refused to move. Skyquake readied his minigun for good measure and Dreadwing brandished his sword. Jetfire looked towards Sari, the diminutive bridge bunny squeezed her hands into fists.

"Megatron please, if I had not done what I did the council would have been endangered, the battle of Iacon would have gone on longer than necessary," Longarm explained.

"The battle would have been won all the same, our young had no defence, you were assigned to that region and you abandoned them," Megatron retorted, slamming his foot into Longarm's back. "The council were fools, but they didn't make you a Prime for that did they? Oh we both know what was happening at Iacon to make you abandon us don't we?" he asked, grabbing the Prime's arms and pushing his foot against his back.

"No, please don't," Longarm bumbled. "Please have mercy!"

Megatron frowned at Longarm before ripping the bots arms clean off. Longarm screamed in agony and blades shot out of Sari's wrists.

"Don't do it," Jetfire said.

"Now, this can end two ways Longarm, I can leave you to die as just another casualty of my rise or I can grant you more mercy than you deserve in exchange for information, the same mercy granted to hundreds of opponents of the gladiator whose face my followers bear as a symbol, the one whose ways inspired the masses of Kaon to become more than what the council intended of them," Megatron grinded his knee against Longarm's shoulder and squeezed the circuitry on his severed limbs.

"What do you want? anything I can give I will, just promise me mercy," Longarm said.

"It won't hurt your chances," Megatron snarled. "Who is Orion Pax?"

"A record clerk at the Iacon hall of records, didn't Rodimus tell you?" Longarm asked.

"What is Rodimus's connection to Pax?"

"He was in charge of security at Iacon, he and Pax didn't actually work together until the Protheans attacked it," Longarm said.

"But there is more to him isn't there?" Megatron presumed.

"To Orion yes," Longarm whimpered.

"Did Rodimus know?"

"He knew only what Sentinel allowed him to know!"

"Memory bank manipulation?"

"Primus no, Sentinel used more subtle means of manipulation, he gave Rodimus the matrix and Prime status as a sign of trust, a trust Rodimus was supposed to return but then he put Orion Pax in charge of a small unit…he was threatening the council's original plan so my ship has been watching the G2 at a distance," Longarm explained.

Sari widened her eyes slightly. She knew that the A1 was always close to the G2, but she and the rest of the crew never realised that was the exact nature of their mission.

"Nemesis," Megatron muttered, confusing Jetfire greatly.

'What is the significance of Megatron's ship, what are they talking about?' Jetfire wondered.

"Then you know?" Longarm asked.

"Yes, there is nothing more you can tell me, your uselessness is at an end!"

"No, Megatron please, I can still make reparations for the loss of D-17," Longarm said.

"YOUR SPARK WILL DO!" Megatron yelled.

He shoved his hand through Longarm's chest and ripped out his spark chamber. Longarm looked at his blinking spark in shock, even as Megatron crushed it in his hands. The colours across Longarm's body faded and turned grey, before crumbling to dust. Sari gasped at the brutality before narrowing her eyes at the Decepticon commander. Afterburners slid out of her back and feet.

"YOU MURDERER!" she yelled, flying towards Megatron.

A blast flew past Jetfire's head and slammed into Sari's back. Dreadwing fired a second shot, hitting Sari's chest as she twisted in midair. Megatron then grabbed her by her neck, scoffing at her size and attempt at resistance.

"I seems Magnus is getting desperate, sending bots straight from the incubation chambers to face me," he huffed before throwing Sari against the wall. "Still you have a fire I never thought I would see, whilst the others cowered you fought," he said.

"And you seemed intent on killing Longarm no matter what he did," Sari said.

"Perceptive aren't you?"

"I got that from my teacher," Sari's mouth plate turned up, indicating a smirk.

"I could use intelligence like that in my forces, there is much Shockwave can teach you," Megatron said.

"Like how to be an evil pit destined bot?" Sari asked.

"We are not evil, we do what is necessary!"

"Necessary? Like your hatred of Longarm, I can understand it, but it wasn't necessary to kill him like that. Like your intent to wipe out the Protheans, it's true they never made the effort to understand us, but that doesn't mean the other species beyond the relay will. Is your intent to enslave all whom are weak, to force them to change necessary? Will it be necessary to destroy drain a young world of its resources before the species of that world can evolve and achieve their full potential? And what about the Sparkling's born under Autobot care, with ideals that oppose yours? Where does your path to rule end Megatron, what choice will you give people?"

Megatron threw Sari to the ground. He picked up his fusion cannon and reattached it to his arm.

"Bow or die," he said, pointing the cannon at Sari.

One by one the Autobots bowed, at least those whom the Combaticons and Stunticons weren't incinerating on the surface of the ship. Sari herself however didn't bow; she stood with her knees shaking, but no doubt proud of her answer.

"The bot your symbol was based on, he believed in something every sentient being in the galaxy shares from the moment they achieve existence, something that is their right. He wouldn't have bowed, no one should bow, so I wont, even if it means death!" she said defiantly.

Jetfire reached out with his hand, only for Dreadwing to touch his shoulder, shaking his head at the futility of interference.

"You are very brave," Megatron said softly.

All sound left Jetfire's processors, he couldn't hear Megatron's fusion cannon, or determine if Sari screamed in her last moment. He only saw her remains scatter across the floor.

"Join them, or join me," Megatron said sternly to the Autobots.

Jetfire lowered his head as the survivors of Longarm's crew began to alter the symbols on their armour. He looked at what was left of Sari's face and thought about her words.

'How far will you go Megatron? Where will you stop?' he wondered.

He felt like screaming, for he had joined Rodimus because he thought he presented a better way. Was there anyone in the galaxy with beliefs that matched his own? Was there anyone willing to fight for what was right and not what was most convenient?

'Orion Pax!' Jetfire narrowed his eyes, secretly deciding his future.

Next Chapter 5: A very odd first contact

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><p>More brutal action, is Nihlus dead you wonder? You'll have to read next chapter to find out. Jetfire struggles with his allegiance, Orion experiences strange visions and Megatron reveals the cause of his intense anger.<p>

Some notes for this chapter, I based Sari on the main human character in Transformers Animated, her design is based on her cyborg form in that show. Voice imagined as Tara Strong, who as well as voicing the character in Transformers Animated also voiced characters such as Raven in Teen Titans, X-23 in Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Rikku in Final Fantasy X and additional voices in many shows and games.

Bulkhead was also first introduced (or at least gained popularity) in Transformers Animated, in this fic he was based design and personality wise on his Transformers Prime counterpart. Would have also been voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, famous for numerous voice roles including Jolee Bindo in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Kilowog in Green Lantern the animated Series and Pantro in Thundercats 2011

Longarm Prime, another design wise based on his Transformers Animated, but with a new background as an elitist Autobot whose not respected because of his superiority complex, which is a contradiction of his lack of actual leadership abilities, he wanted to be named Prime because he believed that alone would make others follow him. I imaged Corey Burton for dialogue, whom as well as voicing Longarm in animated also voiced Shockwave for the original G1 franchise and other series and voiced Brainiac in Superman the animated series and many other DC shows, he has also acted as an audio double for Christopher Lee in Star Wars the Clone Wars and the Kingdom Hearts series.

The Fallen, serving as one of the primary villains of this first part of the series, his design is based on the Bay movies. Voice wise I imagine Fred Tatasciore and the tone he used when voicing Megatron in the War for Cybertron games. He's also famous for voicing the Hulk in multiple Marvel projects, Damon Baird in Gears of War and Mass Effect's own Saren Arterius

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time Orion begins first contact with the Citadel and tries to negotiate a peaceful welcoming as the council discusses the Geth presence on Eden Prime.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

This chapter presents what I hope is a more optimistic approach to first contact, I mean the Autobots have already proven themselves to be friendly. But I'm hoping to still put some tension in there, some of it humorous and some of it serious.

Some humor, references and revelations in this chapter, enjoy

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 5: A very odd first contact

There were moments in history where the very soul of a species was defined by their actions. One of those moments was first contact, the first interaction between two galactic societies. Orion knew that the Cybertronian first contact with the Protheans ended badly and he was willing to use that as an example to the leaders of Shepard's galactic community. He would put himself forward as a political hostage, to tip the scales, because there was no doubt in his mind that the council would regard the humans on the G1 as hostages too. They were however refugees, in need of medical care. Ratchet's minicons did more than provide medical care for the humans; they provided friendlier faces for the humans to first interact with. But Orion's decision to go onto the Normandy wasn't just faced with opposition from the Normandy side. Cliff Jumper had been pacing around the medical bay for some time, ruining Ratchet's chances of appearing friendly to the humans.

"Cog it," the bot growled, smashing his fist into some instruments.

"Cliff Jumper, I needed that," Ratchet said.

Cliff Jumper backed away sheepishly. Bumblebee then entered alongside Blaster.

"Their young are tiny," Blaster said, gesturing to the human children.

"Its often the smallest creatures that carry the biggest surprises," Bumblebee remarked.

"Personal experience?"

"Well I did once take down a Decepticon giant once with just an electric stinger!"

"That's nothing, I once outran the Seekers then tricked them into shooting one another with my cloak," Cliff Jumper said.

"Well excuse me whilst I do what you guys can't," Blaster said as he began walking towards the humans.

The parents quickly covered their children as the red armoured robot approached. He knelt in front of them, smiling and holding up his hands.

"Easy, don't let Cliff Jumper bother you, a lot of us are actually like you guys, people trying to get by you know?" he asked.

"Why have you taken us?" one of the humans asked.

"You needed help, we know about your first contact war with the Turians, they attacked you over a law you didn't have any prior knowledge on when alls they needed to do was talk to you. We Cybertronians know a bit about that so my commander wanted first contact to start a little differently, for us to help one another, I personally don't need a reason to help someone," Blaster explained.

"Hey Blaster I don't see what you're doing what we cant," Cliff Jumper said.

"He's doing it a lot better though," Bumblebee shoved Cliff Jumper's chest.

"Uniting people through something we can both understand, we've read a lot about humans and Turians, Asari, Salarians, every race through the galactic wide extra-net, that's how we're able to speak your languages. I know about your music and let me tell you I love human music, especially rock…but there is this one song that is my favourite, there are probably more for me to find but let me show you this one first, I like it because of its theme," Blaster pushed a few buttons on his gauntlet.

The humans looked to Blaster as he began to generate music.

"What is that?" one of the humans asked.

"That's when we aaaal wiiin!" Blaster sang along with the song.

"It's a song from a band that existed prior to the Alliance's formation."

"The right thing to guide us, is right here inside us, no one can divide us when the light is nearly gone, but just like a heart beat, the drum beat carries on!"

The humans smiled subtly as Bumblebee began dancing, or shuffling his feet and swaying his hips at least to the tune Blaster generated. Cliff Jumper crossed his arms together and huffed, leaning against the wall. Ratchet recovered from the momentary distraction, only to be drawn to sudden yelling that scared the Minicons away from two patients. He walked over to the patients, kneeling beside them.

"What's happening?" he asked the head of his Minicon staff, Red Alert.

"The woman has another life form inside of her, its disgusting," Red Alert said.

Red Alert was one of the few Minicons with a fully aware sentient personality. The other red and white rescue bots had child like personalities and were scared of anything new. Treating humans was a new opportunity. Ratchet scanned the woman; her chest was bloated due to the other life form inside her.

"I've never come across something like this," Red Alert muttered.

"I have, with organic animals we saw on patrol," Ratchet said.

"My wife, she's pregnant, but the baby should've come out sooner," the woman's husband said.

Ratchet grit his teeth together, it was always frustrating to have to study through the extra-net. He gained his knowledge in a few seconds and connected to his surgical instruments.

"Your child will not be born naturally, it is stuck, but I can perform what you humans call a caesarean, but the chemicals we have will not have the exact same effects as morphine or medi-gel," Ratchet explained.

"Wait, what does that mean?" the woman asked hysterically.

"This is going to be extremely painful," Ratchet said as he began prepping the surgical laser, it was usually used for dissecting beasts for study, but Ratchet would use it for a different purpose, to save two lives.

"No, please I can't do this," the woman looked up the giant, her eyes begging him to stop.

"For Primus's sake, I am a doctor, not a scientist, this is the only way I know of to save your child, now if there's anything anyone wants to suggest please do…if not, then let me do my job," Ratchet yelled before turning to his patient.

The woman yelled out, tears flowing from her eyes as the surgical laser crept underneath her belly. The painkillers were not nearly as effective as they would have been in a hospital. Ratchet allowed the husband to stay at her side, holding her hand as Red Alert injected drugs to encourage her healing process, and to bolster the child's strength. Blaster, Bumblebee, Cliff Jumper and the other refugees watched desperately as Ratchet performed surgery. Red Alert pulled the baby from the mother's womb, holding it with an uneasy expression as the child cried.

"That confirms he's alive, wait…there is a genetic fault in its DNA, we must act quickly," Ratchet said.

"What's wrong?" the man asked.

"The child has a fault in its…no **her** genetic structure, she has a severe case of asthma," Ratchet said.

"How are you going to fix that?" Red Alert asked.

"Exposure to spark energy," Ratchet took the girl from Red Alert's grasp and opened his chest.

The humans gasped as a light emerged from Ratchet's chest. They looked upon the very heart of a transformer, their spark, their soul and light of their life. The light of the spark shined over the girl and Ratchet smiled as the genetic faults began to fade. She struggled to breath, but upon feeling the warmth of the light she relaxed, rubbing her back against the cold metal of his hands. He had bought new meaning to the term 'cold hands, warm heart'. The doctor closed his spark chamber and gave the child back to the father.

"Baby, we have a daughter, she's safe," the man said.

"My daughter," the woman gasped weakly.

"Let them both rest, they will need it," Ratchet said.

"Thank you," the man whispered.

Bumblebee walked over to the mother with several other humans as she cradled the child.

"She's so tiny," Cliff Jumper said, looking over Bumblebee's shoulder. "But kind of cute!"

"Not cute Cliff, beautiful," Bumblebee muttered.

"I still think how they make those is sick!"

"On that account we'll agree, and agree to disagree with the humans, but I don't think there's a life form in the galaxy that could disagree with how wonderful the result is," the scout smiled as he looked at the fragile but beautiful baby.

Blaster walked over to Ratchet, gripping his shoulder.

"How did you know your spark would do that?" the communications officer asked.

"You remember that mission on Gaia prior to Orion taking command?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah, we found a small Energon deposit after surveying the planet for drilling," Blaster said

"I initially believed that there were no intelligent creatures there, I was wrong, right when drilling began two animals were caught in the rubble, I managed to get them out but they were wounded, I used energy from my own spark to heal them, because they were showing prior signs of evolution, of becoming a better race. I wasn't going to rob a species or a planet of an evolved being capable of accomplishing wonders on that planet," Ratchet explained.

"That's risky, it could have altered your personality, made you colder," Blaster said.

"Patients don't need doctors with good bedside manners, they just need doctors," Ratchet dismissed.

Blaster watched his friend continue working, concerned over his spark. He felt a tapping on his foot and looked down to see two teenage humans.

"Do you do requests?" they asked.

He smiled, it seemed his 'unity through music' plan had some success.

* * *

><p>Whilst his crew followed alongside the Normandy, Orion himself faced some difficulty. Crewmembers in the cargo hold looked at Orion in confusion. He had driven into the cargo bay in his vehicle form. Shepard climbed out of the truck and admired the design, she was an automobile enthusiast, all of the cars from the twenty first century seemed retro to some people, but she liked them. Medical teams carried Nihlus on a stretcher, Chakwas was applying immediate medical care and Shepard's admiration of her only increased, she focused more on the living Nihlus than grief over the dead Jenkins.<p>

"Aren't you going to change back?" Shepard asked the truck.

"I would prefer not to intimidate your crew," Orion said.

"Too late for that," Ashley muttered.

The elevator doors opened and Anderson stepped onto the deck. Orion watched the respect the crew showed by their fast salute to the man. Clearly Anderson was a good commander, none of the crew delayed following his orders. He stood in front of the truck and looked at Shepard.

"You'd best start writing a report Shepard, get out of that bloody gear as well, I'll have to report to Udina shortly regarding our new cargo," Anderson explained.

"I'm not cargo, I am either a guest or a political prisoner, regard me either as those. I want to immediately make it clear to you captain that my crew and I, no every member of our species refuses to be dismissed as mere machines. If your people continue to dismiss us as such, to not understand us then there will never be true peace between our races," Orion explained.

"I heard the communications from Eden Prime, you were helping us which is more than I can say for the council, but I'm no scientist, my experience with religion is limited as well, what would you say to people whom ask if you have a soul or whom created you?" Anderson asked.

"I see you are wasting no time, very well captain, for your report and to avoid any confusion I will tell you this…while the exact scientific explanation of our creation has not yet been discovered, I can tell you that every Cybertronian is descendent from Primus, the first inhabitant of Cybertron. Throughout the years our technology and society has advanced without the interference of organics, there came a point when our people began a moment of exploration and expansion, but after the Fallen one rose up in rebellion that project was abandoned and the development of Cybertron itself became our sole focus."

"We were by no means a perfect society, the ruling council of our planet, from the capital city of Iacon enforced a caste system that divided the planet. Every Cybertronian child was born into a selected purpose and given knowledge to suit that purpose, as a soldier, a leader or a scientist. So as such we were victims of…I suppose the human term is 'controlled genetics' yes? In one district of Cybertron was an underdeveloped city called Kaon, which was where the Energon mines and gladiatorial arenas were formed!"

"You had arenas, that's pretty barbaric, no offence," Shepard said.

"It was, I don't know why the council chose to form them, but in Kaon there were two hells, the Energon mines and the arena pits. It was there that two gladiators began to question the judgements of the council and their growing corruption, through their examples the Cybertronians gradually began to cast aside the old system and choose their destinies, bots believed better suited as soldiers became labourers, politicians teachers, engineers artists and scientists priests!"

"You had priests, what was your religious belief?" Anderson asked.

"Till all are one!" Orion said before he transformed.

Anderson stepped back as Orion's body folded, changing into his robotic form.

"It is the promise of the Autobots, that one day every sentient being in the galaxy will be united by mutual understanding and peace. I believe that time will come, but things need to be done to make that promise a reality, actions and at times acts of faith. I am putting faith in your community to judge our actions accordingly. So far only one of us has harmed your people, he is a member of our species, we acknowledge that but we had had so little contact with him that we thought he was already dead and we will do everything we can to help you track and apprehend him," Orion explained.

"Do you know why the Geth attacked us?" Anderson asked.

"My guess is as good as yours, they were trying to find the data stored on the Prothean beacon, which I am sorry to say was corrupt long before their arrival. The information was accessed though before I downloaded the digitised data," Orion said.

"The Geth?" Shepard asked.

"No, the information was not downloaded but displayed directly into an organic mind, perhaps the Turian whom had been leading them!"

Anderson and Shepard looked at one another, and then at Orion. He tilted his head curiously before pushing a button on his helmet.

"This is what the Turian looked like," a life like holographic image suddenly appeared before the humans.

Shepard regarded the image with confusion. Anderson however narrowed his eyes in hatred. The grey skinned Turian standing before him was a face from his past.

"Saren," Anderson snarled.

"You know him, an infamous criminal perhaps?" Orion asked.

"Far from it, he's the top agent of the council enforcers the spectres, Nihlus isn't going to like this if he makes it, that reminds me Shepard, once you've finished your report send it to Udina and then meet me in my office," Anderson explained.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Orion asked.

"Yes, if you intend to meet with the council I need you to tell me as much as you are allowed to, I understand you're a soldier and that certain things will be classified but in order for first contact between our race and yours to be peaceful we cannot allow there to be any misunderstandings, don't you agree?" Anderson asked.

"I agree completely captain!"

"Good, Shepard, go up and make your report, both for the council and Udina, and try to put an end to the hearsay amongst the crew would you?"

"Yes sir," Shepard saluted before turning to the elevator.

"Commander!"

Shepard turned to Orion, whose mouth plate rose to signal a smile.

"Thank you for saving my life," he said.

"Likewise," Shepard smiled back.

Once the elevator door closed, Anderson looked to Orion, addressing him like a soldier.

"I am Captain David Anderson of the Alliance Navy, what's your designation?" he asked.

"Orion Pax, commander of the exploration team G1," Orion said.

"Are you the leader of your people?"

"No sir, I am simply a soldier, de facto command of the Autobots would fall to Ultra Magnus, the commander of the largest military force of Autobots in the galaxy, unless the Ark has been discovered," Orion explained.

"What is the Ark?"

"A science vessel led by our foremost scientist Sentinel Prime, Sentinel and his crew disappeared a thousand years ago."

"Would you say your species is united?" Anderson asked.

Orion lowered his head and sighed.

"I'm afraid we are not, in fact we are more divided than ever," the Autobot said sadly as he began to tell his tale to Anderson, with nothing but the truth.

First contact could afford no secrets.

* * *

><p>Saren Arterius stroked his nose in frustration. He listened to the screaming of his supposed ally. Their 'master' was angered by the Fallen's cowardice on Eden Prime. His focus on punishing the Fallen meant that Saren had time to think; he suspected that the Alliance would respond to the beacon and that the council would want in on it too. But for all their talk of unity the council was hypocritical, they hid their bigotry with smiles and false promises. The Asari in particular were controlling, oh if humanity did very well prove itself worthy then they would accept them to appease the masses, but ultimately they wanted control. Saren's own people had played by the Asari's rules, reducing the production of their ships, even pulling back on research projects. All to gain a position on the council, which didn't really amount to anything in terms of the coming storm. Saren worked with the Geth and the Fallen's master for one reason, to keep his people safe, to keep the galaxy safe, even the humans who took his brother from him.<p>

"Our contacts within the alliance have reported back to us," a voice said from behind Saren.

He didn't need to turn to know it was Matriarch Benezia, cold-blooded Asari diplomat, and warm-hearted mother of a supposed expert in Prothean history. She was a valuable ally if an ignorant one, though Saren considered that a blessing. If she knew the full extent of the

"What happened?" Saren asked.

"It is as the Fallen said, an Autobot interfered and saved the colony, the Normandy was also involved, I believe the captain was David Anderson," Benezia explained.

"And what of the beacon?"

"The Autobot, he downloaded the information," Benezia said.

Saren squeezed his armrest. The master would not be pleased, obvious by how the Fallen's screams grew louder. Within the chamber that housed the main reactor of the ship, husks and Geth circled around the Fallen. He had been driven to his knees, coils of red energy held his arms up and the generator of the ship shined, as if the ship itself was angry. A loud growling sound filled the chamber and the Fallen yelled in deafening pain.

"He has it, he has the matrix," the Fallen whimpered.

Again the loud metallic growl filled the room.

"I know," the Fallen cried, "I know that we must destroy it, we must not rest until the matrix of leadership and its bearer, any Autobot worthy of wielding it is destroyed…no, I cannot face him, I must not face him, it will put your plans in jeopardy, but our friend, he will be on his way soon, let the Decepticons deal with the matrix templar, let the fools kill one another for us and I promise you Nazara that this galaxy will bow to our master!"

The Fallen smiled but his jailor persisted, causing him to scream yet again. Failure would be appreciated, for in the eyes of Nazara the cycle was central to order in the galaxy.

* * *

><p>Shepard sat in the mess hall, tapping the holographic buttons to type out her report. Her first report since returning to active duty and she couldn't say 'everything went as planned' as she hoped. Whatever was on the beacon was far more important than the bureaucracy of the council. All of her instincts told her to trust Orion, that though he didn't speak for the rest of his people he spoke for the rest of his crew and second after second Shepard read excerpts from the extra-net about how the Autobots helped to save Eden Prime. Of course there were people putting fourth the obvious, that this was a small group of 'transformers' as they had taken to calling them, what was the rest of their species like? Then there were conspiracy theorists saying that the Geth had built super advanced machines to infiltrate Citadel society for an invasion, and the typical teenage response, 'the transformers are awesome'.<p>

"I don't know, they seem too good to be true," she heard one of the crewmen state sceptically.

The crewman was, if Shepard recalled correctly Marcus Grieco, part of CIC. He must have been off duty, sitting with Ashley and the engineers Talitha and Rosamund Draven.

"You were down their Williams, did the robot seem genuine?" Talitha asked.

"I couldn't really tell, I mean looking at the Geth and the transformers you can tell that they aren't based on Geth technology, I don't know who built them," Ashley explained.

"Maybe they really are sentient," Rosamund suggested.

"That would require them to have souls, god given souls," Ashley retorted.

"God granted us souls and free will right Ash?" Shepard suddenly asked.

"Yeah, of course," Ashley said.

"Machines are bound by logic and commands, now I don't claim to know much about the Geth but what I do know is that machines can not lie or deceive, if this is a highly articulated deception then that proves that Orion and his allies are sentient. However this shouldn't be a question of 'are they alive or not?' It's a question of 'is peace possible' and from what they have shown so far I believe at least with Orion and his crew it is possible. But a wise man did say that if you want peace, prepare for war," Shepard explained.

"I thought you came from the streets Shepard," Marcus said.

"Just because I grew up in the Bronx doesn't mean I turned out to be a complete thug, there were old libraries on my street, I read some of the books and watched a lot of vids, that along with the first hand lessons of who not to be like, taught me a lot of appealing beliefs and I stand by my beliefs," Shepard smiled before she walked away from the table.

She walked to her quarters and put on her computer. Opening the Extra-net, Shepard searched for the articles published by experts on the Protheans. She was looking for any discovery that hinted at the existence of the transformers. Orion Pax called them Cybertronians, but the closest thing she could find to an answer was an article published by an Asari archaeologist, Dr Liara T'Soni. The article itself had been published fairly close to the time the shakedown run began. T'Soni remarked how a group of the Protheans had carved images of metallic giants into the cave walls, perhaps as a form of warning or to revere the giants. One discovery made just before the Normandy shakedown began, the Geth would have had to have prepared metallic giants able to communicate multiple languages and unique personalities, that couldn't have been done in the time between T'Soni's discovery and the Normandy launch.

'Those people, I believe they aren't part of the Geth, just like I have to believe that I had survived for a reason,' Shepard thought.

"Shepard," Joker said over the intercom. "We're coming up to the Citadel now, come up and see the tax payers money at work!"

Shepard pushed the send button for her report and rushed up to the cockpit, with Ashley following behind her. Kaidan was already at the cockpit, sitting in the co-pilot seat. Shepard looked out of the window, seeing the sheer size of the G1. It was twice the size of the Normandy and of course had to be in order to house its crew. For a moment Shepard wondered how big the real battleships of the transformers were. Her attention was then drawn to the Citadel, the wondrous space station. Turian and Asari ships were floating around the station, along with a ship that dwarfed them all.

"The Destiny Ascension, flagship of the Asari fleet," Kaidan said, noticing Shepard's curious expression.

"Well size isn't everything," Joker said.

"Why so touchy Joker?" Ashley asked.

"I'm just saying you've gotta have firepower too!"

"Look at that monster, its main gun could rip right through the shields of any ship in the alliance fleet."

"Good thing its on our side, as well as the G1," Kaidan muttered.

"Oh you don't need to worry about the G1 Alenko, Orion order us to disarm the gunnery stations…yeah I know you think it's a mistake Arcee but its captains orders…HEY! Watch your mouth, especially in front of the little ones," a voice spoke over the radio.

"Hey Commander, you should talk to Pax's second officer, he's the coolest of the bunch," Joker said.

"Thanks Joker, you know I didn't think humans would have a sense of humour but your all right!"

"Who is this?" Shepard asked, connecting her Omni-tool to the communication line.

"Name's Jazz, pilot of the G1 and Orion Pax's second in command," Jazz said.

"He was apparently a racing legend back on his home planet," Kaidan said.

"That's right, five time winner, even went a whole season of nothing but first place wins before I went pro. Listen I know a lot of you are nervous but try not to be, Orion Pax trains us well," Jazz sat back on his chair, resting his feet on the controls. "There's no better team than team Prime!"

"Team Prime, you've got to be kidding, the captain isn't even a Prime yet," Arcee said, stepping up behind Jazz.

Jazz took his legs off the controls and shut down the communications channel.

"He ain't a Prime yet girl," he said.

"HA! You really think he can become a Prime? He's a librarian whose lost the fire of his spark, he left Cup to die and now he's putting us in danger by making us prisoners to these primitive organics," Arcee explained.

"Primitive maybe, but they're good people, that Alenko's a nice guy and Joker…I haven't laughed that hard in a long time," Jazz wiped his visor as he set his feet on the controls again.

"I don't trust them, they based their technology on the Protheans, not to mention their ridiculous laws against AI's. They have basically declared a group of people illegal, its disgusting, and the Asari, for all their self righteousness they're just as bad, no worse than the other species, at least Batarians don't hide their slavery under pretty names like Indentured servitude," Arcee motioned quotation marks with her fingers and Jazz gasped, looking at the communication's console in shock.

He had accidentally responded to a hail from nearby council ships. Suffice to say the captain of the Asari ship leading the escort was less than pleased by Arcee's opinion of the mono-gendered race.

"Um, Arcee," Jazz sheepishly chuckled as she showed the on light to Arcee.

"You stupid, Cog-sucking, oil drenched heaper you," Arcee snarled.

"Easy about the language girl we've got people on the OW…YOW!" the crew of the Normandy, plus the escort ships from the Asari and Turian fleets listened to the crunching sound of Arcee pushing her fist into the top of Jazz's head.

Their antics went ignored by Ironhide and a group of human children. They sat around the weapons officer, gasping in awe as he recounted one of his old war stories.

"There we were surrounded by metal piranhas, Sideswipe was nursing a chomped up arm and Blur was so terrified, I don't think I've ever heard an Autobot talk that fast. I had just a full clip on my cannons left, I knew that if I didn't act fast my team mates would be ripped apart by the approaching horde. But then I noticed a gas pocket in the crevice," Ironhide whispered, bringing his head low to look at the children.

"THEN!" he jumped onto his feet, drawing his cannons, "I fired one shot straight through the jaw of a piranha and the blast flew into the crevice and then BOOM!" he yelled, mimicking an explosion with his arms. " The explosion cut down some of their numbers and knocked me down onto my back. Seven more approached Sideswipe, who couldn't get to his swords in time. I shot and hit the first chomper, then fired another blast at the second, BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

"Click! And I gasped, I was out of ammo, and the last chomper was heading straight for my buddy, I knew I had to act fast so I did the first thing that came to mind. I grabbed Sideswipe's foot and threw him to shelter and then wrestled the piranha to the ground. He was chomping and snarling at me, RAAARGH! RAAARGH! I snarled back for good measure and mustered all of my strength, and then, CRACK! I ripped his jaw clean off, and that's the story of how I saved my squadron from a family of metal Piranha's," Ironhide grinned as the children clapped and cheered.

Cliff Jumper suddenly appeared behind Ironhide, leaning on his shoulder.

"He then got demoted by Ultra Magnus for breaking ranks, was transferred to our little exploration vessel," he said.

The children laughed as Ironhide glared at Cliff Jumper. Meanwhile, Ratchet gripped his audio processors as Bumblebee and Blaster began adopting the human hobby of 'air instruments'. Music blared out of Blaster's gauntlet as he mimicked the riffs of a guitar, whilst Bumblebee waved his arms around as if he was beating a drum.

"TRANSFORMERS!" the two bots yelled.

"Something evil's watching over you, coming from the sky above, and there's nothing you can dooo!"

"Prepare to strike there'll be no place to ruuun!"

"When you're caught within the grip, of the evil MEGATRON!"

"TRANSFORMERS! More than meets the eye! TRANSFORMERS! ROBOTS IN DISGUISE! Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of, the Decepticons!"

"I am going to end up cursing the day Blaster discovered humanity," Ratchet sighed as the young bots continued their 'performance'.

"Blaster, Blaster why isn't the ship's communications officer responding?" Orion asked over the radio.

Blaster and Bumblebee immediately stood to attention.

"Sorry sir, I was just um helping Ratchet maintain the morale of his patients," Blaster said.

"Unidentified ship, we've confirmed reports from Eden Prime that you have hostages in your possession," a Turian voiced echoed over the radio.

"Hostages?" Bumblebee widened his eyes in confusion.

"Who is this?" Shepard asked fiercely.

"Kelem Paric and don't get involved human, a few fighters will escort you to bay D-24 so your cargo can be examined. Geth attacks have been reported on Eden Prime and…"

"Yeah no shit Paric I was there and whilst you were here holding the council's hands as they discussed how to tell us they weren't coming to help I was taking Geth gunfire and watching as one of our most peaceful colonies became a war zone, and I get it…you've got your marching orders and I respect that but respect this, the crew of the G1 saved lives and they are here in peace. The G1 comes to bay D-24 with us or without us, now keeping in mind we have a council Spectre with us in critical condition, do you want to delay him getting medical treatment any longer?"

"No ma'am, but I hope you understand first contact protocols, assume hostilities until proven otherwise, you have proof but we don't and I'm afraid I must insist that the G1 follows us to a secured docking station away from the public eye, we don't want to insight a panic," Paric explained.

"Excuse me, is this thing working?"

Shepard looked at her fellow crewmembers uneasily. Paric did the same, though with much more confusion.

"Who is this?" the Turian asked.

"Cade Yeager sir, I'm no body important, I owned a garage at Eden Prime, my business was destroyed but I would have lost a lot more than that if the Autobots hadn't shown up," a human man explained, speaking into the microphone on Blaster's arm.

"Autobots?" the Turians raised their eyebrows questionably.

"Its what they call themselves sir, anyway my daughter's nearly constantly on her Omni-tool and word has been spreading sir, I know you want to contain this situation but people already know, pictures have been taken, I think you should let them introduce themselves," Cade explained.

"He has a point Paric, this isn't something we can keep quiet anymore, better for the council to not delude themselves on that matter," Shepard said.

"Very well, but there will be an armed guard waiting, Normandy, G1 follow us to docking bay D-24," Paric said.

Orion sighed in relief, step one was out of the way. The council fighters hovered slightly further away from the G1 as they led them into the Citadel. Jazz looked at the outer cameras, at the masses of people looking up at the G1.

"We're about to make history boss bot," Jazz whispered.

"Ironhide, no flashing your cannons, Cliff Jumper don't cloak or try to play pranks on the political leaders, if we have to appear friendly then lets try to do it well," Arcee explained.

"How come you're not giving Bumblebee and Blaster the lectures?" Cliff asked.

"Cause they're friendlier, as evidence dictates," Arcee, sighed gesturing to Bumblebee.

The yellow scout actually had some children sitting on his shoulders. Crowds circulated around the dock as both the Normandy and G1 docked. Shepard buttoned up her dress uniform as she, Anderson and the medical team took to the elevator down. She looked over to Nihlus, whom had a breathing mask over his mouth. The door opened and the humans looked up at Orion in shock. His layers of red and blue armour had been discarded onto the floor; he was showing his real self to the humans and would do so to the rest of the galaxy as well. Orion's protoform stage was still imposing, but a number of gears and cogs were exposed and unprotected. His face still had the appearance of a helmet, but Shepard could see actual emotion in glowing red eyes. He was understandably nervous.

"Are we ready captain, commander?" Orion asked.

"Yes, lets go," Anderson said.

The cargo bay doors opened and flashes illuminated Orion as he walked alongside Shepard and Anderson. News teams from across the galaxy looked at the two ships and the life forms that emerged from them. People across the galaxy gasped as humans walked alongside giant machines. Orion Pax raised his hands and walked into the crowd, showing them he was not armed. It was in that moment that Orion chose to change his identification code; to adopt a new name the people of this galaxy would know him as. A name that in the Cybertronian language translated as 'faith' or 'hope', a name that Orion felt was perfect for the occasion. He knelt in front of the camera crews, causing them to shuffle back a bit.

"People of the Citadel, every member of the galactic community, I am the captain of the Autobot exploration vessel G1, I assure you we only want peace between our civilisations, my name is Optimus!"

Asari Councillor Tevos deactivated the holographic display of the newly dubbed Optimus Pax's first contact. She squeezed her hands together in both anger and fear. It was a sight that confused both Valern and Sparatus, she was usually more level headed than that. Sparatus looked over the reports sent by Anderson and Udina, the former painted a more optimistic picture, apparently it was the truth but there was no absolute way to know that.

"A species still consumed by war with itself, I thought we had seen an end of such conflicts," Valern sighed.

"If it is the truth, so far Udina has offered wild speculation, that these machines are sleeper agents, that would require deep preparation from the Geth as well as an ability to deceive beyond simple military ambushes," Sparatus explained.

"Which would imply a level of ruthlessness they don't have, they're still bound by logic," Valern nodded.

"He also mentioned Saren, where was Saren during the Geth attack?" Tevos asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

"Investigating corporate corruption in Noveria," Sparatus said.

"And how reliable a witness is this 'Optimus' that and the testimony of a traumatised dockworker is hardly proof," Valern said.

"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern, if it is the beginning of an attack on us then we must prepare, we can not allow this 'first contact' to distract us from the real issue."

"I agree Tevos, if the Autobots are truly allies then we must find a way to gain their trust and loyalty, they have power that we may need against the Geth. But at the same time we can not allow ourselves to get involved in their war, if these 'Decepticons' truly do exist," Sparatus explained.

"You are missing the point Sparatus, we have limited options, Optimus has put the issue in the hands of the people, they have been seen, human media is already conveying them to be heroes. Our own people have also seen them, how wondrous and terrifying they can be, Optimus deliberately cast aside protocol and put himself to the people so that they could welcome him, not us, he's winning their trust so that no matter what decision we make to protect our interests we will come out the bad guys," Tevos explained.

"Are you all right? You seem particularly nervous Tevos," Valern noted.

Tevos got off her seat and rubbed the sweat from her brow.

"I am all right, perhaps we should take a recess for now, wait for the inquiry into Saren's actions to begin and coordinate the defences of our home world's, if the unlikely scenario of the Geth targeting our people comes true," she said.

Sparatus and Valern looked at one another, their eyes telling each other that they shared the suspicion of their fellow leader. Tevos retreated to her office and pushed on the communication terminal. The holographic image of an Asari appeared before her, her expression was cold, so cold that Tevos was glad she never became part of the council.

"Irissa, have you seen the news?" Tevos asked.

"The only galaxy has seen the news Tevos, I have reporters trying to squeeze down my throat for answers about whether the longest existing government of the Citadel council knew about the existence of these things. The collective have also contacted me, these things can jeopardise everything we've worked to create, they might reveal the truth," Irissa explained.

"So far they haven't shown outright hostility, they saved Eden Prime and have appeared to us unarmed," Tevos said.

"So what, we should be blindly truthful with them as well? Don't be naïve Tevos, even if there is truth to what they say its still damning, if the Decepticons come to Earth seeking out the Autobots then it will be the beginning of a war that will decimate the galactic community, that's the last thing we want and if they discover what we did, then we the Asari will earn the full unforgiving wrath of a tyrant consumed by his hatred of organics, do you want to see our people die because of what we did to advance our society, its bad enough that we broke the law we composed on the sharing of Prothean technology, but…"

"I know, I know Irissa, I will continue to keep project Zeta a secret!"

Next Chapter 6: Inquiries

* * *

><p>The Council reveals that they already know more than they appear, Orion takes his first step in first contact and towards becoming the Autobot he was meant to be, renaming himself Optimus, but he's far from being the bot we all know and love yet. I based Optimus's protoform or 'naked' form on the Protoform Optimus Prime toy of the film universe.<p>

Anyone want respect points, figure out what the song Blaster was singing. Its a favourite of mine from that band. Cade Yaegar also wasn't a random name I picked out either, he wont make future appearances and I wont introduce human characters from other series either, at least not in major roles.

Next time Optimus meets with the council as the charges against Saren are dropped. Shepard and her team, along with Arcee and Blaster join with C-Sec investigator Garrus Vakarian and Krogan mercenary Urdnot Wrex to find evidence against Saren, Bumblebee meanwhile finds a wounded Quarian and comes across his first experience of organic hostility as he races to reach a medic.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

This chapter ended up covering a lot less than I originally intended. Optimus's speeches with the council kind of drew me away from what I originally intended to cover in this chapter. But they were still vital components of the chapter, so I decided to keep the chapter as it is.

Nihlus's fate is revealed, Optimus begins integration into the Citadel and some revelations about the Autobots.

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 6: Inquiries

People across the Citadel were feeling wonder and fear over the new arrivals. Whilst the council species ultimately prepared their militaries, ambassadors and representatives of the different races began flocking to Optimus, intending to make a good first impression. The Raloi however didn't make an appearance, in fact Shepard was sceptical of their existence, as either Raloi didn't live on the Citadel, which considering even Batarians and Vorcha lived there was strange, or they never left their home planet, which seemed a more reasonable explanation. She walked with Anderson as part of the 'diplomatic escort'. A full regiment of C-Sec security agents followed behind each individual Autobot. Blaster, Bumblebee and Arcee were the only ones to follow Optimus. Ratchet insisted on seeing his patients to Huerta memorial hospital, which was where Nihlus had also been taken.

'Worst kind of wound for a Turian,' Shepard thought.

She was no doctor but she knew anatomy, Nihlus's spine had probably been severed by the Fallen's attack. His payback for Shepard shooting his eye.

"Optimus Pax, my name is Barla Von, if you're ever in need of an account or information just visit me at the bank," a wheezing, short Volus tried to give Optimus a business card.

"Nice work getting to a bank with our 'escort'," Arcee huffed.

"Hey Arcee, what did you think of the captain's decision?" Bumblee asked.

"Its bad enough he stripped away his armour, but allowing us to be escorted like this, we're the dominant force, we should be demanding access to their communication buoys so we can contact Ultra Magnus," she explained.

"It might work if I'm hooked up to it, but we don't need a temporary alliance, we need permanent allies especially with the state of Cybertron," Blaster said.

"I don't like how he's doing it, but at least he's taking responsibility," Arcee crossed her arms together as she walked.

"What do you mean?" Blaster asked.

"If he had become a Prime, if he had taken command from Rodimus, then none of this would have happened…we wouldn't have been alone," she lowered her head.

"Actually, I was wondering what you thought of the captain changing his name, Optimus is a pretty cool name right?" Bumblebee asked.

The C-Sec guards raised their eyebrows at the scout's nature, whilst Arcee slapped her forehead.

"Optimus Pax, Diana Allers, Alliance News, how do you find the Citadel so far?" the dark haired woman asked.

"It is beautiful to behold, but I fear for the council's ability to maintain peace," Optimus said.

As the words left the Autobot's mouth, the people around him gasped. Many of the council species members felt offended and even glared up at the robot. But as Optimus gave his reasons, the members of other species, Batarians, Volus and humans began to cast aside their assumptions.

"The council runs its government like a school club, species must fulfil requirements to join the council, they must earn the right to become members. Whilst that inspires drive, it is foolish in the fact that it sometimes antagonises different species and also, shouldn't this be considered? For the sake of peace, shouldn't all advanced species be part of the council?" Optimus asked, looking at the people around him before continuing, "If everyone was a part of the council, then everyone would have something to gain from the other species, a vote that effects the fates of all in the galaxy is much better if it is discussed and deliberated on by ten council members, if say six out of four have decided for a policy then it can truly be said that the majority vote won!"

"But wouldn't that sometimes lead to bullying amongst the species, or too many voices within the council to make a proper decision?" a Volus asked.

"There is already bullying in the council, or at least a form of isolation, together the three species of the Asari, the Turians and the Salarians have nothing to worry about but say a time comes when they must make a decision that effects one of those species, the species in question will want the best for their homeworld, but the other two may disagree and that species will suffer because of a majority vote, something less likely to happen if there are five or six members," Optimus explained.

"Eager change of subject: Who created you?" an Elcor asked.

Optimus looked at the alien and via the extra-net studied the Elcor. Many criticised them as being emotionless, but they simply conveyed emotions in a different way. Their ignorance was also understandable so Optimus remained calm, whilst Arcee struggled not to get involved. Blaster placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Let Optimus handle this," he said.

"While I do not know the complete origin of our species, for like yours there are various interpretations, but for myself and my crew I can say this…we are not creations, we are born, we live, we learn, we fight and we die, give or take a few thousand years," Optimus explained.

"Sceptical response: I sincerely doubt you are truly alive," the Elcor said.

"Then I suppose I'll have to find a way to prove you wrong, but not today, I believe Captain Anderson has an important meeting to attend to with the council," Optimus said.

"You heard him, move aside," a Turian C-Sec captain said.

The human embassy had been cordoned off, so reporters were barred from entry. Arcee wasn't sad to see the crowd pushed back by the C-sec agents. There had been so many questions, some stupid like 'how do transformers mate?' She wanted to take all those ignorant reporters, hold them and gunpoint and make everything clear to them. They were Cybertronians not 'transformers'; they followed their own independent will and not a programming, they had souls and a better understanding of the soul then they ever could and the Protheans were just a band of vicious elitist war mongers that the galaxy was better off without. Arcee looked at her hand and saw how it was shaking.

'Primus, this isn't fair,' she thought.

"Are you okay Arcee?" Bumblebee asked.

"No Bee, I'm not, lets just drop it," she said.

Much to Optimus's understanding the meeting with the council wasn't to take place in the citadel tower. Even if he changed his form he knew he wouldn't fit in those small elevators and there was the expected fear the council had. They weren't yet ready to give a newly discovered species access to the heart of the citadel's political power. A hall near the human embassy had been repurposed into a makeshift embassy. Hologram pads had been placed on the wall facing the entrance and as if the entrants were walking into the council chambers itself they saw the leaders of the citadel. Live holograms of the council members stood side by side in front of Udina, the human ambassador. Optimus, Shepard and Anderson however focused on the giant holographic image beside the council, Saren Arterius, Spectre and the one Optimus knew he saw at Eden Prime.

"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there's nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in anyway," Councillor Tevos said, appearing fair and diplomatic as always.

"I resent these accusations, the culprits are plain to see," Saren looked towards the Autobots.

"Really, then why should we bother helping the people the council abandoned?" Optimus asked.

"Yes, the council would have stepped in if the Geth attacked a Turian colony," Udina said.

"The Turians do not form colonies on the edge of Terminus space," Valern said.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when they entered the Traverse!"

Optimus narrowed his eyes at the Asari councillor and stepped beside Udina. Whilst Udina stumbled back slightly, the C-Sec guards save for a Turian investigator aimed their guns at the Autobot captain.

"It matters not whether the attacks happened to a human colony on the edge or in the very heart of the Terminus systems, an ally was attacked, you have to step in!" the Autobot said fiercely.

"We do not have to do anything, you do not make demands of the council," Sparatus retorted.

"What we need is proof," Valern said.

"C-Sec turned up no evidence confirming Saren's involvement," said Tevos.

The Turian investigator pushed the button at his console, conveying his voice across the hall.

"We haven't been given the time to properly investigate Saren's involvement, there's more evidence against Saren than there is for him."

"I am on a mission of critical importance to council security, I have not had time to invade human colonies," Saren said.

"Then tell us what that mission of yours is," Anderson said.

"Ah Anderson, you always seem to be at the front whenever humanity makes accusations against me," the Turian seemed to chuckle at Anderson's presence.

"You still haven't answered the question, if a man wasn't afraid of the truth he would answer," Shepard retorted.

"And you must be Anderson's protégé, I read the reports concerning Eden Prime, the fact that my friend Nihlus was wounded under your command, that you allowed these things to enter your own ship. Its clear to me that your species isn't ready to join the council, and you are not ready to join the spectres!"

"HE HAS NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT! THAT'S NOT HIS DECISION!" Udina yelled.

Optimus widened his eyes as Saren's statement sunk in. He looked to the council as they calmed Udina's anger. The Autobot's hands shook into fists and his vision blurred to static.

_He slammed his hammer continually into the face of his opponent. Never stopping the assault, even as the bot begged, gripping at his chest plate. He kicked him back down and resumed beating. The screams of the crowd only grew louder and more ecstatic as the victim's parts and oil gushed over the floor. He roared before stabbing the tipe of the handle through the broken bot's spark. His eyes darted to the balcony above him, where the cloaked council of Primes looked down on him. He roared in absolute fury._

"YOU GAVE FILES ABOUT THE ATTACK TO THE MAN ACCUSED OF LEADING IT!" Optimus yelled, stomping his foot on the ground.

The council leaders, even the Autobots were taken aback by Optimus's fury.

"IT IS THE PINNACLE OF STUPIDITY!" he roared.

Saren huffed, keeping his arms crossed. Optimus was no threat to him on the Citadel and his anger only gave the ignorant masses more ammunition.

"At this time the council has found insufficient evidence to revoke Saren's spectre status, this hearing is over," Tevos said.

"I'm glad to see justice was served, if you ever require my help to rid you of these machines, do not hesitate to contact me," Saren looked smugly at the Autobots and then at Anderson and Shepard.

His expression was one that said 'I win again humans'. His holographic form faded and the council remained.

"Despite your outburst captain, I believe there are issues you can discuss with us, our people are afraid and our hope is that you can reduce those fears," Tevos explained.

Optimus looked to his men as the humans began to exit the hall. His unspoken order was for them to stick with Shepard, to help her in whatever way they could. He looked to the council; they were fools in his eyes. But they were the rulers the galaxy had, so he would have to talk to them. Putting his hands behind his back at an 'at ease' position, Optimus address the council in his most diplomatic tone.

"I am at the council's service!"

* * *

><p>Udina shook his head as the group walked out of the embassy. Blaster and Arcee followed close behind, Bumblebee on the other hand had disappeared. Arcee forgot about the scout and focused on the humans.<p>

"It was a mistake to bring you into that hearing captain, you and Saren have too much history," the ambassador sighed.

"History? What history?" Blaster asked.

Arcee slammed her elbow into his chest.

"We need to deal with Saren by ourselves, evidence of his involvement with the Geth exists beyond Optimus's witness testimony we just have to find it," Shepard said.

"C-Sec didn't find anything, although I suppose that Turian might know something," Blaster suggested.

This time Arcee didn't hit him and Shepard nodded in agreement. The Turian seemed to be adamant in his opposition of the council's decision and adamant about Saren's guilt.

"Maybe he knows something," Shepard said.

"I have a contact in C-Sec who might be able to help you," Udina muttered.

"Forget it, I won't waste my time with Harkin," Anderson said.

"You wont have to, I don't want the council throwing aside any evidence we gain because of your involvement."

"I'll handle this captain, you want me to ask Harkin right? That drunk loser, have we stopped making deals for him to stay with C-Sec?" Shepard asked.

"He's been suspended, probably getting drunk in Chora's Den, a gentleman's club in the wards," Anderson explained.

"He probably knows whose investigating Saren, I'll have a talk with him sir, I'd like to bring Arcee and Blaster along, they're both small in comparison to the other Autobots so they might not draw as much attention," Shepard explained.

"Do whatever you have to Shepard, Udina and I will be at our embassy here on the presidium," Anderson said as he and Udina began walking back to the Presidium.

Shepard activated her Omni-tool and sent messages to Kaidan and Ashley. She knew she would need their help if, as she suspected Chora's den had a criminal gang running it. Arcee and Blaster both followed her lead and transformed into Cybertronian hover cars. Shepard smiled as she climbed into Arcee's car form, the seats were uncomfortable but she wasn't hoping them to be. Arcee wasn't the soldier you wanted to comfort you, but the soldier to watch your back and follow orders. Optimus gave her an order and she was going to follow it even though she didn't like it. That was the kind of command Shepard respected.

"Arcee, I notice you and Optimus don't seem to get on, what's the story behind that?" Shepard asked.

"Optimus used to be called Orion Pax, before I was born he was a clerk at Iacon's hall of records," Arcee said.

"A librarian basically, hard to believe with his fighting skills," Shepard shrugged.

"I've always had difficulty accepting that too, but it's not really my place to question unless I'm asked. A few years into the Prothean invasion, the hall of records was attacked, Optimus, then Orion rallied the civilians to fight back. But all the glory was given to Rodimus, whom was named a Prime for saving the city," the soldier explained.

"What are Primes exactly?"

"Hold on, Blaster you've gone straight past the meeting point," Arcee said.

"Really?" the red hover car turned around, cutting up several other cars.

"Have you guys studied driving rules, you need to slow down too Arcee," Shepard said.

"Really? But my vehicle form can go up to two hundred and fifty miles, why put the option of going over the legal speed limits?"

"You know I always wondered that myself," Shepard muttered.

Blaster landed by a platform on the wards, where Kaidan and Ashley waited. They looked at the car curiously before climbing into the driver side. Ashley and Kaidan were both wearing their armour, as per Shepard's instructions.

"I can't believe the council ignored all the evidence on Saren," Ashley said.

"Saren's their top agent, it makes sense that they would believe his story over ours," Kaidan sighed.

"So we're just going to sit back as this smug Turian gets away with his Geth army?"

"Its politics chief."

"I hate politics!"

"Motion seconded, politics shut my radio show down," Blaster said.

"You were a radio broadcaster?" Kaidan asked.

"Youngest and most popular presenter on Teletraan 1 before I started ignoring the censorship regulations, when I started reporting about the initial Decepticon rebellion I was finally shut down," Blaster sighed.

"Your government sounds as bad as the council," Shepard said.

"They were long dead by the time I was born…back to your original question Shepard, Primes are the leaders of Cybertron. The Fallen was once a Prime, but he betrayed his brothers and was exiled, over the cycles the Primes began to fall one by one, so much so that the Prime lineage was forgotten and thus the name Prime was adopted as a title. Before the Prothean invasion the council of Primes were our leaders, they implemented a caste system that demanded that all Cybertronians fulfill a set purpose, as you can imagine eventually people started speaking up against it. People wanted the freedom to do what they wanted, to follow ideals that the Primes didn't agree with. My problem with Optimus stemmed from him refusing to become a Prime, he could have changed everything, he could've led us to so many victories against Megatron, he could have bought an entire army here and we wouldn't have been forced to tread carefully like we are now. So many of my friends would have still been alive, including my teacher Cup," Arcee explained.

"Whose Cup?" Kaidan asked.

"He was an Autobot who refused to side with Rodimus when the Decepticons arrived. Cup gave us time to get away, probably with his life," Blaster said.

"So she lost a teacher and a friend, she's keeping her cool," Ashley said with a hint of admiration.

"Arcee's a good soldier, Cup taught her how to handle grief and she took those lesson to spark, even though it was a part of her spark she had lost," Blaster sighed.

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked.

"On Cybertron, offspring belong to everyone, before coming here we had no words for father or mother, the concept was foreign and still is. But spiritually speaking…Cup and my mother joined sparks, resulting in the creation of a new spark which eventually became a Protoform…me," Arcee said.

"You mean, Cup was your father?" Ashley asked.

"By organic standards yes," the pink and white bot huffed.

The rest of the drive to Chora's Den was dominated by an awkward silence. To the organics and gradually to Arcee herself, the meaning of Cup's death became clear and the circumstances. Blaster put himself in the shoes of an organic, and of Arcee herself. He could only think that Optimus had left her father to die.

* * *

><p>Within the sturdy halls of his 'prison' Optimus approached politics the opposite way to the council. He was honest, telling them everything about his people. It was an extensive knowledge and a wondrous story. His built in hologram emitter broadcasted Cybertron as it was before the Protheans arrive. The council and the new witness to the session looked at the metropolis of Iacon in amazement. Liara T'Soni never thought that her recent discoveries would only days later reveal themselves to the grand public. Optimus recognised the wonder on Liara's face. Even as a hologram her love of history was clear. It was the same love Optimus had as Orion, looking at the history of his planet in his free time. For Liara her love for history had been apparent since she was a toddler digging in the grass for lost treasures. Her mother had only deepened that love by buying her history books, but her approval of Liara's path had gone unspoken through Liara's tenure at university.<p>

"What kind of religious beliefs and culture did you have?" was the first thing Liara asked him.

He told them of the promise and hope of the Autobots. It had been born from the hopes of Primus, whom to many was apparently the first sentient being on Cybertron. His hope was that all beings capable of free will would come to understand and accept one another. Privately, Optimus believed that it would be the ideal political and societal structure. For all species to be of one government. One government built upon mutual interest and understanding in which the freedoms of all sentient species were preserved. That wasn't his answer however to Valern's question concerning Cybertron's political structure. He told them of the caste system the Primes enforced on the planet and how it led to the eventual breakdown of their authority in favour of people whom inspired the masses. Megatron, Sentinel and Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus became the defacto leaders when the council of Primes was decimated in the Protheans last attack.

"Sentinel however disappeared with the Arc, Ultra Magnus is in deep space overseeing operations against the Decepticons and Rodimus has joined with Megatron. Which is why I beg of you, do not make the mistake the Protheans did, do not condemn us and yourself to destruction," Optimus explained.

He showed them a sight that threw aside everything Liara thought she knew about the Protheans. Everything she had read about the Protheans had conveyed them as an advanced empire that had uplifted hundreds of worlds. The holographic images that Optimsu showed revealed the savagery and hatred the Protheans were capable of. Cybertron, once a planet filled with beautiful metropolis's was turned into a crumbling war zone. Prothean fighters bombed the cities and incubation chambers of Cybertronian offspring. Hope came only for Cybertron only from a being of equal savagery. On top of the images of Megatron's forces driving away the Protheans, Optimus played the recordings he discovered before going through the relay and what he found on the beacon.

"The data is damaged but the message is clear, whilst the Protheans fought my people, something else of greater and more terrifying power destroyed them. But ask yourselves, if the Protheans had won how long would their rule have lasted anyway?" Optimus bought the question forward and only Liara truly thought.

"The history of many worlds is dominated by moments in which unforgiving, tyrannical rules were bought down by idealistic ones," she said.

"Exactly, which is why I believe even if somehow the Protheans had prevailed they would have destroyed themselves," Optimus said.

"Technically you destroyed them," Sparatus said.

"No, Megatron only drove them away, hundreds of thousands of ships managed to go through the relay before they damaged it. Our world, the Protheans…they destroyed Cybertron, now we live as nomads with no planet to call our home, we are what Volus would call clan less. The Decepticons wish to take from you, and while I cant speak for Ultra Magnus's personality I can tell you he will not tolerate the Decepticons attacking your worlds. Grant me access to your communication network and I will call upon Ultra Magnus and his forces to help bolster your own," Optimus explained.

"What guarantee do we have that this Ultra Magnus will not simply bully us into giving up our resources?" Valern asked.

"Yes, why trade one tyrant for another, why trust your word?" Tevos narrowed her eyes at Optimus.

"Ultra Magnus seeks to stop Megatron's enslavement of other races," he said.

"I believe that Optimus is telling the truth," Liara said.

"Dr T'Soni, politics is our concern, leave interactions with the AI's to us," Tevos said.

Liara raised her hand to protest, but her holographic form disappeared. Optimus sighed, for the young Asari had interesting points. He looked upon the council members, despite his revelations they were still stung but their prior ignorance and fear. But no matter how long it took Optimus planned to stay and make it clear to the council that they were there, that they wanted peace.

* * *

><p>C-Sec officer Chellik growled as he and his men searched the Presidium commons. Executor Pallin had been adamant in his orders, watch the transformers. Chellik and his men saw the yellow robot sneaking away from their human allies and towards the garage for the human embassy. His hope of catching a robot in the act of sabotage was dashed when he saw no robot in the garage. There were plenty of hover cars parked but no robots. The Turian sighed before turning to his men.<p>

"Lets get back to their 'embassy' people," he said.

Bumblebee chuckled as the C-Sec agents walked away from him. He wasn't a scout for nothing, and there was a reason Cybertronians were called 'robots in disguise' Transforming was a vital part of Cybertronian physiology, so much so that if ever the race had to infiltrate a primitive world they could transform into their vehicles. A bright yellow hover car flying away from the embassies would bother no one on the Presidium.

'I'm a scout, so I'd better start scouting,' Bumblebee thought.

Bumblebee came across a different kind of life form every time he parked. In the commons he found people walking the streets, the news of new life forms negotiating on the station was nothing to worry about to them. They went about their daily businesses, discussing bands, the state of the economy, movies and other pointless things. The issue of the Geth attack on Eden Prime never came up. Though Bumblebee understood, he was born on the day the Protheans invaded. The facility that housed his incubation chamber was one of the lucky few to be evacuated. Even though he grew up in war Bumblebee would have given anything in his possession to live life in ignorance of danger.

'But you've got to be cautious Bumblebee, or someone could die,' he reminded himself every nanosecond of everyday.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the touch of two organics. An Asari wrapped her arms around the neck of a teenage human and pushed him against the hood of Bumblebee's car form. The scout gagged as the pair began massaging one another's mouths.

'What are they doing? And why are they doing it on me?' he wondered.

They were both making weird, unnecessary moaning sounds. Bumblebee, despite his disgust of their actions suddenly felt very awkward. Then he recalled the lessons of the Extra-net, that organics bonded through some kind of physical contact.

'Wait a minute, is this what they call mating? YUCK!'

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves," Bumblebee said, causing the lovers to scream as they rolled off of his hood.

He revved his engine angrily before driving off.

"Yuck, yuck, yuck, Ratchet!"

"Bumblebee why are you using this frequency I'm busy," Ratchet said.

"I'm sorry Ratchet but I really need your help, I think some organics mated on top of me, I need disinfectant right now," the scout frantically explained.

"Bumblebee, the organics would not have mated in a public place. They show physical affection through mouth-to-mouth contact and other forms of physical touch," Ratchet explained.

"So they haven't been mating on me?"

"No Bumblebee, they haven't been mating on you, now if you excuse me I have work to do," Ratchet cut the line and returned to his medical duties.

He and his fellow minicons were working with the doctors at Huerta memorial hospital. C-Sec security was tight, but not suffocating. Once they saw the progress Ratchet made they also saw the benefits of letting him have free reign. Ratchet was astonished by the primitive methods of healthcare they were using. Though it was understandable by the standards of organic health.

"Have you considered the following elements in the treatment of this man's condition?" he asked one doctor.

"Um no…wait, this actually makes sense," the doctor looked at the protein formulas Ratchet had downloaded to his Omni-tool.

"Excuse me, what are those machines doing?" a nurse asked.

"My minicons are building simple prosthetics for your amputee patients, because what you're giving them now is a joke," Ratchet said.

The doctors glared at Ratchet, causing him to huff. He expected the organics to be a little more grateful, but they were just as stupid as the patients Ratchet treated on Cybertron. Dr Chakwas walked through the crowds of doctors, watching as Red Alert and the minicons gently hefted patients onto bed with no problems.

"Stop, those hoists will make your patients joints worse, let me get him onto the bed with my anti-gravity generator," Ratchet formed what looked like a magnet on his hand and levitated Nihlus onto a medical bed.

"What can you tell us about what happened to him doctor?" the surgeon asked as Chakwas approached.

"Severe spinal damage from a stab wound," Ratchet and Chakwas said.

"I'm sorry don't you want the best possible care for this man?" Ratchet asked.

"The best possible care can come from someone better suited to treating organics, which is me right now," Chakwas said.

"Well by all means tell me how you intend to fix his broken spine!"

"Severed spine, no matter of physical therapy will help Nihlus walk again, surgery perhaps to place an implant to replace the damaged part of his spine might suffice but its extremely risky," Chakwas explained.

"He's a soldier, he knows risks!"

"I don't know whether medical ethics exists on your planet but here we do not force patients into high risk medical procedures we wait until we have consent."

"Don't compare Cybertronian ethics to organic ethics," Ratchet huffed, turning away from the doctors before they took Nihlus into the wards.

He looked at the view the hospital offered of the Presidium.

'At least these organics stay true to their beliefs,' Rachet lowered his head and sighed.

* * *

><p>After picking up her equipment, Shepard, Ashley and Kaidan walked to Chora's Den. It was a gentleman's club under the management of Fist, a crime boss with ties to the shadow broker. Blaster had made upgrades to the groups Omni-tools, giving them the frequency for Autobot communications. Ignoring the radio broadcaster's curiosity regarding why Chora's Den wasn't called Fist's den, Shepard looked through the crowds of partygoers towards her target. He had that look of a man who had stopped caring long ago, his blue and black C-Sec uniform was dishevelled and what appeared to be his third bottle rested by his hand.<p>

"That's him, Harkin," Shepard said.

"Gambling, drugs, roughing up suspects, Prowl would have a field day arresting this guy," Blaster chuckled.

"Whose Prowl?" Kaidan asked.

"Autobot law enforcement officer, used to act as something of an internal affairs department before he fully committed to Rodimus's cause," Arcee explained.

"How many Autobots joined Rodimus?" Ashley asked.

"A full contingent of troopers though they'll probably report to Megatron's command, the ones likely to follow Rodimus into battle are Prowl, frontline combat and demolition specialist Warpath and flight officer Jetfire, he used to be with the Decepticons," Blaster explained.

"Now they're traitors who we're to shoot on sight," Arcee said.

"Come on Arcee, it may be possible to convince them to stop, Cup saw sense!"

Shepard ignored the argument between the Autobots and stepped up to Harkin.

"You Harkin?" she asked.

"Who wants to know, unless you're offering a dance or a drink lady I'm not interested," Harkin said.

"Commander Shepard of the Normandy, someone who'll beat your ass to the ground if you make a sexist comment like that again, and I doubt your former colleagues at C-Sec will care enough to arrest me," Shepard explained, slamming her hand down on the table.

"I could have been a marine," Harkin huffed. "Instead I joined Citadel security, biggest mistake of my life, the Normandy is Anderson's ship right?" Shepard nodded and Harkin laughed. "I get what this is about, Anderson's still after Saren isn't he and he thinks we've got something on him? Tell me did he tell you his big secret?" Shepard shook her head and without being asked Harkin revealed his secrets, "You see Anderson used to be a spectre, bet you didn't know that, Saren was the one evaluating him when he screwed up, ruined the mission and got a ton of people killed."

"I don't care about that," Shepard said. "Tell me what C-Sec knows about Saren, who was investigating him?" she asked.

"Turian named Garrus Vakarian, the Executor told him to back off but the damn hot head is still at it, last I heard he was going to Dr Michel's clinic on the other side of the district, something about following a lead," Harkin explained.

"Thanks, go back to wasting your life again if you want Harkin," Shepard dismissively turned away from the drunkard.

"Pretty harsh commander," Blaster said.

"Not really, Harkin's a loser, he's only going to end up on one side of the law."

Shepard stopped and looked towards the entrance to Fist's office. There were a few guards posted there, all of them facing one Krogan in red armour. Unlike the other Krogran facing him he had older features and a scar over his forehead, just touching his eye and chin. He stood with a confidence befitting a veteran warrior, but one whom had led people before.

"Fist told us to take you down if you turned again," the younger Krogan approached him fiercely, but Shepard could see the hint of respect and fear in his eyes.

Some part of that younger Krogan knew that if he faced the older Krogan he and his men would die. That's the feeling Shepard got, for even under threat the older Krogan made no move to defend himself. He was that confident that the young one wouldn't attack, and attack he didn't.

"What's he waiting for, I'm standing right here, tell Fist this is his last chance," the old Krogan said.

"He's not coming out Wrex, end of story."

"This story's far from over," Wrex said before he walked away, "Get out of my way human I have no quarrel with you!"

Shepard moved out of the mercenary's way. It was clear he was after Fist but he was no hit man. Fist was go between for the Shadow Broker, the biggest and most mysterious information broker in the galaxy. Having existed as long as the council had, the broker had hundreds of agents and never showed his or her face. Wrex wasn't afraid to go after Fist, so Fist must have done something to damage his respect and standing with the criminal community and the broker.

"What do you think that's about?" Kaidan asked.

"Who knows, best not get in the middle of it," Ashley said, summing up Shepard's thoughts exactly.

If they needed to get involved with it then they would.

'Garrus Vakarian,' Shepard associated the name with the face of the Turian whom spoke against Saren.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee hummed to himself as he drove across the wards of the citadel. He marvelled at the lights of the casino district, the club goers exiting the hotspots and the diverse species walking along the streets. A part of him imagined that the citadel was what Cybertron was like before core of the planet shutdown, forcing the populace to search the stars for energon. The young scout landed in an alleyway and began putting together the mental map he had drawn of the citadel. It was so vast that he still had sixty percent left of it to explore. But it wasn't just the people enjoying peace that distracted him; the strange bug like creatures bothered him. The citadel was maintained by the keepers, biomechanical beings that weren't like the VI interfaces. No one knew where they had come from.<p>

'They seem to be empty, there's nothing inside them at all, no spark or emotion,' the scout noted.

He sighed at just how complicated the situation was. The council species were in actually fact as ignorant as they were. But they weren't at all interested in finding out what the keepers were, or what the citadel was meant for. He bought up a screen on his HUD, linking with the extranet and the live feed of the Cybertronian embassy. C-Sec was allowing select news networks into the proceedings. Optimus stood before the holograms of the council delivering a speech that seemed like it had been cycles in the making.

"To be a political leader is to claim to speak for your whole species. That is not something I can do, in fact I believe it is not something the council can do either. You ask me for guarantees but I cannot give them, because like your people mine are individuals and react in differing ways. I can guarantee that Megatron's Decepticons will attack you, but I cannot guarantee how my fellow Autobots will react, whether they will be open to the prospect of our cultures living in peace. They will have difficulty adjusting to interacting with organics, to your customs, your political structure and your ways, many of which will seem strange to them as our ways will be strange to you. I am a simple soldier, no great politician or scientist."

"I can only inform you so that you can make the right decision for all. I believe that you know in your hearts what that decision is. Yes we are at war, a war that has been waged for centuries, a war we are losing badly. We are desperate, not just to win but to rebuild our home world or if at all possible make a new home world. But to do that we need resources, energy and materials. If a race were to reach out to us, to become our ally then out of honour Ultra Magnus would send soldiers to aid them no matter what stands in their way!"

Optimus looked to Udina, for his speech was a promise as well. His eyes then looked to the council in an unspoken display of his disapproval of their lack of action.

"We would provide machines and advancements in medical fields, transportation, if given resources we could build a space bridge network miles more efficient and reliable than the mass relays. Our space ships would allow you to advance beyond the mapped regions of space, to expand, to grow and accomplish wonders. We will learn from you, you will have not only saved our species but helped us to advance as well. So many cultures have been defined by their first meetings, many of them have began with conflict, ask yourselves is peace not a better alternative to war?"

Ratchet watched the display from his own link to the extranet. He nervously rubbed his wrists as he watched his friend predict the possible response of their people. Their predicament and what they could give people for pulling them out of that predicament. Nihlus opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a vid screen displaying Optimus's meeting with the council. Dr Michel sat at her desk, curiously watching a moment that would become history. Her curiosity was broken as her door opened. Men rushed into her clinic, the leader put a gun to her head. Gunshots echoed through the streets. Shepard and her crew ran into Dr Michel's clinic with their weapons drawn. The commander widened her eyes, Garrus stood with the barrel of his pistol smoking, Fist's men were dead and Optimus's speech continued to play.

"Should we not move towards the future helping one another, teaching one another? But I myself cannot guarantee that it will be a peaceful transition. Contrary to your initial beliefs, we are an emotional people whom stand by their ideals. We will not tolerate the enslavement of others," Optimus looked at the Batarians in the hall. "But we all have to change, we have to rely on you and you have to trust us. I believe our people can live in peace, which is why I make this promise!"

The faces of the council members distorted in surprise as Optimus kneeled.

"I swear, whatever decision is made, I will fight to protect this galaxy from any threat, whether it be Cybertronian in origin, or whether it is something else entirely," Optimus said darkly.

"Big bot, what did you find on that beacon?" Bumblebee wondered.

"So I beg of the council, please welcome my people, please help us and we will in turn help you!"

An uncertain silence was the only answer to Optimus's speech. He had left the council and the people of the galaxy whom had watched the speech with much to think on. Bumblebee remained silent as a trio of armed men walked by him. One was a definite Turian, and the other two were Salarians in full armour.

"You heard about the new arrivals, a machine race or something," one of the Salarians said.

"You mean the Geth attack on Eden Prime?" asked the other.

"No, those transforming machines, apparently they're truly sentient, the Quarian fleet has been divided about it."

"Well they are experts in AI's, I'd suppose they of all people would know whether those things are alive."

'Primus are all organics ignorant over the nature of a soul?' Bumblebee wondered.

He watched the three aliens continue their business. They seemed to be impatiently waiting for someone. When the two Salarian's prepared their pistols Bumblebee began to grow uneasy. He looked to the edge of the alleyway, where a woman in a hood stood. She seemed to be debating something with herself. In the end her naïve desperation won out and she walked into the alleyway. That's when Bumblebee saw that she was a Quarian, the race that tried to commit genocide.

"Where is Fist? Where is the shadow broker?" she asked.

If Bumblebee wasn't in vehicle mode he would have raised his head in confusion. It was common knowledge on the extra-net that the shadow broker never revealed himself, always operating through agents. But the Quarian seemed particularly desperate for some reason.

"Did you bring it?" the Turian asked, moving on the Quarian like a predator examining prey.

"Where is Fist?" the Quarian asked.

"He'll be here," the Turian said.

He touched the side of her helmet and moved her hand down to her waist. The Quarian instantly slapped his arm aside and stepped back.

"Forget it, the deals off," she said, reaching for the pouch on her belt.

The Turian nodded to his two allies and they full revealed their guns. But the Quarian was prepared, she threw a concussive grenade from her pouch, throwing her would be assassins back. The Turian however recovered quicker than the Salarians, pulling out his rifle.

'Keeping a low profile is overrated,' Bumblebee thought as he transformed.

He jumped over the Turian and landed in front of the Quarian. She stopped, her eyes wide in horror underneath her helmet. Bumblebee wrapped his arms around her, using his own body to cushion her from the assassin's bullets. When the Turian's gun overheated Bumblebee slid out his own rifle. With an instinct that had been honed since he was old enough to walk, Bumblebee shot first, cutting the three assassins down.

"Primus that was close, are you okay?" he asked, looking down at the Quarian.

The Quarian's eyes were as wide as saucers. Bumblebee smiled, but his lips dropped as the Quarian screamed.

"KEELAH!" she yelled, throwing a grenade into Bumblebee's face.

The grenade didn't damage his armour, but it still hurt in more ways than one. He only wanted to help her, he kept on saying that but the girl ran. She fell to the floor and hysterically crawled away from Bumblebee.

"Stop please, I'm not going to hurt you," Bumblebee said.

The Quarian stood up and without thinking threw another grenade. Bumblebee crossed his arms together, shielding himself from the blast.

"All right, hopefully you're out of grenades now…" Bumblebee lowered his arms and widened his eyes.

The shockwave of the explosion had thrown the Quarian back. She must have had a gunshot wound, because the force of the landing had opened her stitches. Bumblebee analysed her suit, it hadn't been breached but blood was staining it from the inside.

"Primus no, no, no, calm down, get her to a medic Bee," Bumblebee imagined Optimus at his side, goading him on and ordering him to get into gear.

He gently grabbed the Quarian and transformed to vehicle mode, making it so that she would lie across the passenger seats. After wrapping the seat belts around her, Bumblebee accelerated out of the alleyway. He activated his radio, contacting Ratchet.

"RATCHET!" the scout yelled.

"Bumblebee so help me if this is another…"

"Shut up and listen Ratchet, I need a medical team ready to treat a Quarian right away, she's bleeding, I can feel it staining the seats…MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Bumblebee overtook several cars before weaving between a pair of garbage trucks.

Ratchet looked over his computer; Bumblebee was in a particularly emotional state and his speed in vehicle mode had long gone past the limits the organics set.

"Bumblebee, slow your speed down to fifty miles or you might cause a further tear in the Quarian's wound, DOCTOR CHAKWAS!" Ratchet's voice boomed over the hospital.

"What's going on?" Chakwas asked the field medic.

"Tell these supposed doctors to get a room ready to treat a Quarian and if they refuse treatment tell them I was not making a request," Ratchet growled.

Chakwas didn't bother waiting for an explanation. She had accepted the fact that the Autobots were sentient and very emotional creatures. That though they were dangerous, they still sought to help others.

"I need a room decontaminated for Quarian treatment," she said to the Turian medical chief.

"A Quarian, we don't have time to treat their kind," he said.

"Forgetting the fact that this is not a request but a legal and obligation of all doctors, these directions have come straight from that Autobot over there," Chakwas pointed towards Ratchet and then looked the Turian in the eyes. "But he will be the least of your problems, if your patients, Turian, Human, Quarian or even Batarians don't receive the best care possible I will report you to a medical tribunal and will not rest until your reputation is in so much tatters that you wont even be able to get a job as a school nurse."

The Turian remained silent for a moment before turning to the nurse.

"Get a room prepped, we have an emergency admission," he said.

Chakwas sighed in relief and nodded to Ratchet.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Ratchet still wasn't sure about the organics, but he was pleased they had medical professionals like Karen Chakwas.

Next Chapter 7: The Quarian

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next chapter we continue Shepard's investigation into Saren, meanwhile in space Ultra Magnus learns of Rodimus's betrayal and brings together the five members of the Lightning Strike Coalition. Some of you have been asking about them, next chapter we meet them :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

The story continues, more fan favourite characters are introduced and Optimus's negotiations with the council reach a crucial point as does Shepard's investigation

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><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 7: The Quarian

Though her conversation with Optimus had been cut short, Liara T'Soni was still able to enjoy the sight of the giant standing up to the council. She had read stories about the transformers and what they had done at Eden Prime. They had been declared warriors and heroes, doctors and entertainers and it seemed philosophy and politics could be added to the many qualities of their society. Optimus had painted a very bleak picture of his past and the Citadel's future if they rejected his people. For some it would insight fear and that fear would push the council into action. But for Liara it gave her hope that she could finish her research into the Protheans. She had been given the truth about the Protheans that they were not the advanced and civilised society she once believed them to be. Optimus has opened her eyes in more ways than one; he didn't lie about his people or try to paint a positive picture. All her life Liara had been told ideal interpretations of the Protheans from her lecturers. He simply painted a picture that showed his people, flaws and all. She continued to watch the self appointed representative of his people talk with the leaders of hers and guide the galaxy towards an uncertain future.

"Please describe the events that happened that led you to Eden Prime," Tevos said.

"Yes what exactly is your position within the Autobot's army?" Sparatus asked.

Optimus walked through the council holograms and gazed at the view the hall had of the lake. His optics scanned the ripples of the water and thought about what he was doing. He was creating ripples throughout the galaxy. The Quarians with their ignorance on machines were probably already warning their people of the new 'synthetic' race. Optimus didn't dislike the Quarians, or did he hate them. He just understood that they were ignorant. That if they didn't learn about the truth of a machine's evolution then it would destroy them. He turned his head and looked at the council, taking a deep breath as he prepared to deliver yet another speech.

"As I stated before the G1 is an exploration vessel, in conjunction with the G2 we travel from solar system to solar system, planet to planet, we comb meteors and debris fields for traces of Energon or the minerals necessary to create Energon. On planets we run surveys not just on the core of the planet but also on its very surface, on its creatures to determine whether the evolution of an advanced species is possible. Under Autobot military law we never harvest the planet of a world with intelligent life on it, or the potential for intelligent life. In our history we have only harvested two worlds and we still have no where near the amount of Energon needed to restore the spark of life that is our planet's core. My team was charged not just with discovering energon sources but finding artefacts both from the Protheans and from the time our ancestors roamed the stars," Optimus explained.

"What kind of artefacts?" Valern asked.

"That is information I can not share with you," Optimus narrowed his eyes slightly before continuing, "Sentinel Prime set an order before his disappearance that we must never use the mass relay network, 'we must not make the same mistake the Protheans did'."

"What mistake was that?" Tevos asked.

"Sentinel had reason to believe that the mass relay network was not the creation of the Protheans, that they had simply inherited it from another civilisation. He believed that the mass relays were under the control of another, that they should have been abandoned. Rodimus Prime however believed that they were a resource that couldn't be overlooked. He then disagreed with Ultra Magnus in how to properly settle the civil war. Whilst Magnus believes that Megatron's forces must be eradicated, Rodimus believed in joining with the Decepticons to work together. At the time I believed it was to come here and make peaceful first contact but considering the nature of Rodimus's defection I now have no doubt that he will take your resources by force," Optimus explained.

"What exactly was the nature of Rodimus's defection and why did you not stay?" Sparatus asked.

"He executed all those whom argued against defection."

The room fell silent as Optimus lowered his head, thinking about Cup and the sacrifice he had made. A part of him hoped otherwise but knew that more sacrifices would be made before things got better.

* * *

><p>Deep within the wards of the citadel, Shepard continued her own struggle for her people. Whilst Kaidan, Ashley and the Autobots stood guard, Shepard and Garrus Vakarian stood by Dr Michel as she recounted the reason Fists men were shaking her down. It was also the reason Garrus had arrived to rescue her.<p>

"They wanted to make sure I wouldn't tell Garrus about the Quarian," the doctor said.

"Dr Michel sent me a mail stating that there was a Quarian with information that could possibly link Saren to the Geth attack on Eden Prime. Not only would it absolve the Autobots of suspicion it would also be everything you needed to get Saren's spectre status revoked," Garrus explained.

"You were really convinced that Saren was a traitor," Shepard noted.

"I couldn't access any of Saren's files but I knew something was really going on. Call it instinct if you will, something about Saren rubbed me the wrong way, when I tried pushing to carry out a deeper and more intrusive investigation my superiors ordered me to back down. But I knew something was really going on, Saren is a traitor to the council and a disgrace to my people," the Turian's mandibles clicked in anger.

"How did you get involved with the Quarian?" Shepard asked the doctor.

She got off her chair, rubbing her hands nervously. Ashley and Kaidan had dragged the bodies from view but the adrenaline was still flowing through her.

"A few days ago a Quarian came to the clinic asking for help, she had taken a minor gunshot wound but was in need of antibiotics and patch work on her suit. I knew the other medical facilities had probably thrown her out…"

"Why would they deny her medical treatment?" Blaster asked from the doorway, causing Dr Michel to jump.

"What's your glitch Blaster?" Arcee grabbed her fellow Autobot's head and pulled him away from the door.

"I'm curious…I mean I'm no fan of the Quarians but they're still entitled to medical treatment," the communications officer said.

"Quarians typically live as nomads, scavenging and recycling materials, a lot of people see them as thieves," Ashley said.

"The accusations are baseless of course, but it doesn't stop companies from rejecting applications or shops refusing service," Shepard explained.

"I could tell that she was afraid, when I pushed she told me she had information about Saren. Knowing the wrong thing can get you killed, especially when it's about a spectre, she was alone on the citadel, no one was willing to help her and she needed a way out. So I put her in contact with Fist, he manages Chora's den, leads some of the gang element and is also an agent of the shadow broker," Dr Michel explained.

"Not anymore, now he takes orders from Saren and the broker isn't too happy about it," Garrus said.

"Fist betrayed the shadow broker? That's stupid even for him!"

"Excuse me, who is the shadow…"

Arcee suddenly slammed her fist into the top of Blaster's head.

"Big information broker, mysterious and dangerous to these people, actually use the extranet for something other than looking up music," she snarled.

Shepard slapped a palm to her face as Garrus and Michel looked at the Autobots in confusion. She then looked to Garrus and narrowed her eyes.

"It looks like its time we paid Fist a visit," she said.

"This is your show Shepard but I want Saren bought down as much as you. Fist has eyes everywhere in the wards, there is a good chance that he knows you're coming," Garrus explained.

"You aren't the only ones after Fist either, C-sec just picked up a Krogan mercenary after he made threats against Fist," Blaster said.

"Are you hacking C-Sec communication channels?" Garrus asked.

"Hacking is such a severe word, I'd prefer analysing their faults and don't worry, I'll tell the nice people at C-sec where they went wrong in their creation of 'secure channels'" Blaster waved his fingers around and grinned.

Garrus raised his eyebrows, uncertain of whether the Autobot was genuinely being humorous or if it was just an AI mimicking humour. AI's were abysmal when it came to humour, but the Autobots seemed to play pranks on one another and had unique personalities. Garrus was one of many whom saw anger, reasonable anger but still anger shown by Optimus. Though he was still not convinced that the Autobots were completely friendly he did believe they were more advanced than the average unshackled AI.

* * *

><p>Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya believed that her journey would end. Her nightmare of disappointing her father and leaving him alone was about to come true. Trapped within the confines of the strange machine she recounted the events that led her to the Citadel. Her pilgrimage had started as any other Quarian's would, even the daughter of an admiral was never given special treatment. The transport ship, Honorata was to take Tali to Illium, a place in Asari space that Quarian's typically began their pilgrimages on. However the crew detected a Geth presence on an uncharted planet in the crescent nebula. Landing with a crewmember Keenah'Breizh, Tali found a Geth separated from its group. With Keenah's help they extracted its memory core and found a recording. The content was so damning that Tali knew it had to be turned over to the authorities.<p>

But as per usual the Honorata faced trouble landing in Illium. Tali got her first taste of prejudice against her people. The officials deliberately delayed the landing. That in turn gave Saren's men on the planet time to learn of their actions with the Geth. The mercs set up an ambush, killing the Honorata's crew save for Keenah and Tali. Forced to stowaway on a transport to the Citadel, Tali persisted in her belief that they needed to get the information to the proper authorities. Only they had to take the information straight to the top, to the council itself. But when they arrived at the Citadel they were arrested and despite their pleas that they had information were told to leave within the next day. There were talks of some kind of attack on Eden Prime and rumours that Geth and another form of synthetic life was involved.

Upon finding out that they had to wait six months to see the council, Tali and Keenah decided to cut their losses and seek out shelter. But then the Turian mercenaries found them. Keenah took the worst hit from the chase. Cornered in an incinerator, Keenah gave into his wounds and Tali was ultimately alone. To both avenge Keenah's death and keep herself safe Tali set a trap at the incinerator. The mercenaries were obliterated by the flames, which acted as Keenah's funeral pyre. Seeking treatment for her injured arm, Tali came upon Dr Michel's free clinic. After treating her arm and listening to her story Dr Michel put her in contact with Fist. But once again Tali was faced with another failure, one that her father would have been so disappointed in.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee widened his eyes as the Quarian's breathing became shallow. He transformed to robot mode, causing the people on the Presidium to scream as he landed in the lake. The Autobot scout looked at the bleeding Quarian and grit his teeth together.<p>

"Ratchet, I'm too far away from the hospital, the Quarian wont make it," Bumblebee said.

"Bumblebee if you don't get here then the Quarian will die either way," Ratchet said.

"We need to do everything that we can right, if a member of the galactic community dies under our care then we'll be held responsible."

"They don't treat the Quarians that well, no ones going to cry over it," Ratchet sighed.

"What in the pit is wrong with these people? These Quarians, they are…they're a part of this galaxy too, so we need to do everything that we can right?" Bumblebee asked.

"I need to do everything I can Bee, I'm the doctor not you now get her to Huerta," Ratchet said.

Bumblebee looked at his chest, inside of it was his spark. Sparks were made of the same energy but each contained a unique personality. The sparks were not just energy, they were the life force that went into every Cybertronian. Bumblebee flashed back to the G1, how Ratchet had used his own spark energy to heal a human baby on the genetic level.

"Could the same thing apply to this?" the scout wondered.

"Bumblebee what are you doing?" Ratchet asked.

"The water on the Presidium is sterile right, no harmful bacteria inside it right?" Bumblebee asked.

"Bumblebee what are you going to do?"

"What boss bot is doing, showing them the light within our hearts," Bumblebee set Tali on the surface of the water and opened his spark chamber.

* * *

><p>If there was one thing Shepard hated more than Thresher maws it was elevators. She'd developed this stigma of them. The rides were long, boring, claustrophobic and awkward at the worst of times. Then there was the music, which was meant to calm but only ended up making the journey more annoying. The two Autobots waited at the entrance to C-Sec academy. Though it was called an academy it acted more like a headquarters for C-Sec officers on the Presidium and its surrounding wards. Garrus took the lead, being more familiar with the facility.<p>

"Hey Garrus," a Turian by the elevator called the detective over.

"What is it Chellick?" Garrus asked.

"Is that Commander Shepard with you?"

"It is, Chellick are we still holding onto that Krogan Mercenary, the one who threatened Fist?"

"Banes was just about to let him go, hey Commander Shepard where are your Autorobot friends?" Chellick asked.

"They're called Autobots and I'm not really at liberty to discuss that," Shepard said.

"Well one of them has been towed for illegal parking!"

Ashley and Kaidan exchanged confused looks. Even Shepard wondered how a massive robot could be towed in for illegal parking. Then she realised that the Autobot in question had probably been ordered to play nice with the authorities if they ever did something wrong.

"Kaidan, Ashley, go and collect whoever's been towed, put the fine on my tab," Shepard sighed.

"Yes ma'am," Ashley said.

The two soldiers followed Chellick towards the impound yard. There a multitude of cars were waiting. They immediately noticed an out of place red hover car, with buffalo horns on the hood.

"Cliff Jumper," Kaidan shook his head.

"Alenko, Williams, you guys wouldn't be willing to do a bot a favour would you? I was minding my own business doing reconnaissance when all of a sudden this truck wraps a cable around me and drags me away. I would have given them the horns if not for Optimus ordering me not to," Cliff Jumper explained.

"Your form isn't exactly inconspicuous," Kaidan said.

"In fact it screams come and get me when you're in a chase, and nobody puts ornaments like that on their car anymore," Ashley motioned to the buffalo horns.

Cliff Jumper suddenly transformed, revealing a bulkier more heavily armoured form.

"I had to add a few pounds of armour but I'm actually liking it, so have you guys come to set me free?" he asked.

"Yeah, but you owe the commander a few thousand credits," Ashley said.

"I'll pay her back, as soon as I find out how a robot in disguise makes credits that is," Cliff sighed.

"You could start charging people for seeing how much of a glitch head you are," Blaster said over the radio.

"Its pretty pathetic Cliff," Arcee sighed.

Meanwhile, Garrus and Shepard walked towards the C-Sec interrogation room. Outside of it they saw the bulky, red armoured Krogan facing down the arresting C-Sec officer.

"Witnesses saw you making threats at Fist's bar, this is your only warning," the officer said.

"You should warn Fist, I will kill him," Urdnot Wrex spat, causing the officer to pull his head back.

"Do you want me to arrest you?"

"I want you to try," Wrex chuckled, turning away from the C-Sec officer and walking down the corridor.

He came to a halt near Shepard. But instead of barging into her analysed her face and armour.

"You're Shepard, commander Shepard right?" Wrex asked.

"You recognise me now?" Shepard asked.

"Ha, I just had a hard time believing the great survivor Shepard was…"

"A woman?" she crossed her arms together, waiting for the Urdnot to give his response.

"Hell, women are the most dangerous of any species, I just expected you to have red eyes and scars all over your face," Wrex huffed.

"You want Fist dead don't you?" Shepard asked.

"What gave me away?"

"He has information I need, I'm going after him," Shepard said.

"I see, well I hope you understand that nothing, not even C-Sec is going to stop me from killing Fist," Wrex said.

"He knows you're coming, you'll have a better chance of reaching him if we work together," Garrus said.

"I just want the information he has on the Quarian, what happens to Fist afterwards isn't my problem," Shepard explained.

Wrex hummed curiously before looking Shepard in the eyes.

"Fist made an enemy of the shadow broker, but the Quarian isn't going to be safe either, even if Fist hadn't betrayed the shadow broker," Wrex explained.

"What do you mean?" Garrus asked.

"The shadow broker claims to be an information broker but he's a lot more than that. He's a glorified crime boss, information is his religion…and information to use against a spectre is worth killing anyone for," Wrex said darkly.

"Then we'd best find out from Fist where the Quarian is, before Saren's men or the broker's men find her," Shepard motioned for Wrex to follow her.

"My people have a saying," Wrex smiled, offering Shepard his hand. "Find the enemy of your enemy and you will have found a friend," he said, shaking the commander's hand.

"We've got a similar saying in our culture!"

Wrex looked curiously at Shepard as she put her hand to her ear.

"In mine too Blaster, we say 'enemy of my enemy is my friend'," she said.

"Ours is more of a hope really, 'in our darkest hour the greatest of enemies unite,'" Arcee said.

"That's actually more along the lines of 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'" Garrus said.

"Why keep your enemies close, that just gives them space to stab you," Blaster said, causing the organics to shake their heads.

* * *

><p>Far away from the Citadel, beyond any charted galaxy floated a ship that was gigantic by the standards of the Asari. Omega Supreme was one of the biggest ships in the Autobot fleet. Often described as being the size of a city, Omega was one of four ships left within the Autobot fleet that could go to war with any organic planet alone and win. The other two were Metroplex and Fortress, respectively commanded by Linq and Maximus. Omega Supreme however was under the command of the grand commander of the Autobot military forces. On the ship's bridge sat that commander, a bot respected and feared equally amongst the Autobots and Decepticons. He was a soldier dedicated to the defence of his people and a strict and disciplined commander.<p>

The robot was a tall Autobot with the alternate form of a truck. His armour consisted of red colours on his chest with blue accents, a blue helmet and gauntlets. The bots white face and hands were exposed and he sat at his command chair with a straight posture. He demanded discipline from the people under his command and they responded without question. With Sentinel gone people considered there to be three possible leaders for the Autobots, Rodimus Prime, Megatron and Ultra Magnus.

"Grand Commander, we've picked up a communication, it was sent through Teletraan 1 sir," one of the Omega's communication officers said.

Ultra Magnus rose from his chair, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Play it," he commanded.

Without giving an explanation, the officer did as he was told. Cup's face, wrecked and leaking oil appeared as a hologram before the Autobots.

"I'm sending this message to any Autobots out there, Rodimus Prime has betrayed us, I repeat Rodimus Prime has joined with the Decepticons. The crew of the G2 has been massacred, only the survey crew of the G1 has survived. Orion Pax is carrying the matrix of leadership, he has entered the Prothean galaxy," Magnus widened his eyes as the message ceased.

He noticed the nervous expressions of his crew. They were an experienced crew and though Magnus never said it, he valued their lives deeply. He walked off his chair and turned to his second in command. Springer was a green and yellow armoured triple changer, capable of transforming into a jeep and helicopter. He had gained the ability to transform that many times from the experiments of the head scientist Wheeljack. The scientist in question worked in his lab. He had not always been a scientist though, thousands of years ago he had been a simple soldier. Though skilled he found his true calling in matters of intellect.

"Ah Ultra Magnus, good to see you, I've been working with one of my colleagues in the Q-nebula and he believes he's developed a weapon that can overpower Megatron's cannon," the lights on the side of Wheeljack's head glowed with every word he spoke.

A metallic plate had replaced his mouth and he had built alternate audio processors. His original vochal chords had been deliberately torn out so that the Combaticons couldn't torture him for information. It was a reflection of Wheeljack's dedication to the cause. But the grey armoured Autobot hadn't been the same since his time in a Decepticon prison camp. He had put more time into his work, even working with older scientists with outdated ideas. Younger Autobots called him a mad scientist and it showed in his inventions.

"I present to you," he hefted a large cannon off of his workbench. "The P.O.K.E. cannon, although the K.E. function doesn't necessarily work this scrapper can leave a ton of damage," Wheeljack explained.

"I'll be sure to test it later professor, but now is not the time for such things. There is a matter we must discuss…" a blue flash suddenly rushed past Ultra Magnus.

The new arrival crashed into the junk in Wheeljack's lab. He quickly burst out of the scrap heap, sliding towards Ultra Magnus.

"Ultra Magnus sir I've intercepted a final message sent secretly by a communicationsofficerwithintheA1!"

Wheeljack slapped his forehead as Springer raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Slow down Autobot, what is your designation and problem?" Magnus asked the blue speedster.

"Sorry Ultra Magnus sir I always talk fast when I'm nervous I'm Blur intelligence officer under the command of Wheeljack and it was while I was looking at the stars in my spare time that I picked up a spark message from a spy within Rodimus's command," the speedster explained, quite deliberately without pause.

Magnus wondered whether Blur was still nervous or he just always talked quickly.

"Spark message, those don't exist soldier," Springer said.

"THEYDOEXISTTHEYDOEXISTTHEYDOEXIST!" Blur yelled.

"ENOUGH!" Magnus roared.

Blur shuffled back nervously as Springer stood at ease.

"Spark messages do exist Springer," Magnus said.

"Yes, a dying Cybertronian possessing a will so strong and a message so important that their spark itself emerges from the all spark to deliver that message. What did the message say Blur?" Wheeljack asked.

"That the seeds of doubt exist within the defected forces and that Orion Pax might be able to convince Jetfire Warpath and Prowl to fight against Rodimus and Megatron when they arrive in the Prothean galaxy," Blur explained.

"Wait, are you saying that it was indeed a genuine spark message, a message sent by someone from within the all spark?" Springer asked.

"It's happened before," Magnus said.

"When and how?"

"My bond mate, after she and the sparklings she was tasked with protecting were destroyed she sent a message to me from the all spark. What was your relationship with the one this message came from Blur?" Magnus asked.

"Sari and I are friends sir but we ended up serving on different ships," Blur said.

Magnus lowered his head slightly.

"Thank you for passing the message on soldier, we can take it from here," he said as he turned to Springer.

"What are we going to do?" Springer asked.

"Put together a task force, Wheeljack prepare a space bridge, get me the LSC," Magnus said.

"The lightning strike coalition they have a stupid name and they're a suicide and…" Blur paused for the first time since he had arrived, "A destroyer squad tasked with eliminating threats with extreme prejudice!"

"They will go to the Prothean galaxy, track down the Decepticon forces and eliminate them and if necessary the matrix of leadership," Magnus explained.

"I hope this Orion Pax is reasonable," Wheeljack chuckled.

"But Sari said Orion Pax would be able to save Rodimus's crew not to mention that the lighting strike coalition may endanger the indigenous populace," Blur explained.

"They will stop the Decepticons no matter the cost," Magnus said as he walked to the door.

Blur's expression fell as he quickly processed the meaning of Magnus's words. They would eliminate the Decepticons no matter who got caught in the crossfire. He moved to chase after the commander, but Wheeljack quickly grabbed his shoulder.

"Leave it boy, there's nothing you can do, just pray to Primus that Sari wasn't wrong in her judgement of Orion Pax's spark," the scientist explained before returning to his work.

Magnus and Springer walked through the corridors of the Omega. The ship was so vast in size, yet was able to be operated by a minimal crew. The area of the ship Magnus and his second walked through was reserved for Special Forces. Five stasis pods were set on the wall to the left of Magnus.

"I don't agree with Blur's reliance on old and unproven theories, perhaps he heard a radio message the officer sent discreetly to him or perhaps it was a spy acting as Sari. My point is sir is sending in the lightning strike coalition really necessary?" Springer asked.

"I don't make this choice easily Springer, I would go myself but there is too much at stake here," Magnus said.

"Exactly, I'm not one to follow blind faith but Orion Pax inspired a whole city to stand up and fight, that has to give his ability to convince Jetfire, Prowl and Warpath to defect some value right?"

"I can look up the background of any soldier in the Autobot army, I can become familiar with their history. But Orion Pax, he is a blank page to me. I know his reputation but his past has been sealed. Only a member of the council can erase records of a person's past."

"Orion Pax is a records clerk why would his past be a mystery?" Springer asked.

"Exactly, he may very well be a good man but I cant put everything on faith, awaken them," Magnus said.

Springer sighed as he tapped the deactivation sequence of the pods. One by one they hissed and slowly opened. The first to emerge was the leader of the coalition. He stood as tall as Ultra Magnus, bearing a body capable of turning into a tank. The second and third emerged, both slightly shorter with bodies capable of becoming cars. Then came the fourth and fifth. Every member, save for the fifth had armour consisting of grey, red and primarily yellow colours. The fifth, a jet type Autobot had blue armour on his chest.

"Grab energon rations and meet inside the briefing room," Magnus said.

The leader of the coalition snarled, his blue visor narrowed into a frown.

"Magnus, how many cycles has it been since our last mission? Have you finally decided to attack Megatron?"

"You will be briefed on your mission in due time," Magnus said. "And fix that attitude, Grimlock!"

* * *

><p>Shepard already had a good idea of the effectiveness of the Autobots in a combat situation. Ashley and Kaidan had also made their skills very clear. But in order to keep the Autobots away from a potential diplomatic incident and to keep her squad mates free of reprisals she opted to go to Fist without them. Garrus was just doing his job and they were bound to find something illegal in Chora's den that required an arrest, or a few bullets. Wrex also had a job to do and like Shepard he wasn't going to let anything stand in his way. Fist had cleared out Chora's den and armed his guards. He hadn't been expecting Wrex to come alone though. Shepard knew Garrus was a good shot, but she had no idea just how good. Wrex gave them a good shield with his barriers and he provided the distraction.<p>

Seeing Wrex send a man flying with a shoulder barge was something Shepard knew she wouldn't see if the Autobots came along. She told them she needed stealth and finesse. Although her idea of finesse was smaller explosions. Her Omni-tool overloaded the extinguishers in the club; one even threw a guard headfirst into the bar. Wrex ran through the smoke with his biotics flaring, illuminating his path. He rammed another man against the wall and shredded another with his shotgun. The beast of a weapon cut through armour and flesh like a blade. But the kills didn't all go to the raging Krogan, the Turian investigator lived up to Sheapard's expectations. He proved her assessment of him being a sharpshooter right. Every time Garrus pulled the trigger on his rifle an enemy went down, he never wasted a shot and his targeting was instant. Shepard considered herself a decent marksman, but Garrus was something else. They released overload tech together, shocking a biotic guard. Wrex then blew the man's head off with his shotgun.

"The stories don't do you justice Shepard," Wrex laughed.

"You should see me on the frontlines," Shepard retorted.

Fist seemed truly desperate, so much so that he gave his janitors guns. But upon seeing the three soldiers the labourers knew they would be dead men. Shepard wasn't an unreasonable woman. They were honest men trying to make a living with the wrong man.

"Time to find a new job," she told them.

"Yeah I never liked Fist anyway," the loyalty the club owner inspired was laughable.

"It would have been easier to kill them," Wrex muttered, almost disappointed by the outcome.

"That's not really necessary, now come on Fist is waiting," Shepard said.

The trio came into Fists office. Glad in black and red armour, the crime boss ducked underneath his desk.

"Why do I have to do everything myself?" despite the frustration in his voice Shepard could tell he was trying to hide his fear.

The two automated turrets beside his desk began rolling, spraying the walls with bullets. Shepard remained under cover, keeping her rifle raised and Omni-tool active. She popped out of cover and hit one of the turrets with an overload. The shields of the machine were broken, but Shepard's shields also faded. She took to cover again refusing to meet Jenkins's fate. Fist took pot shots from his cover too, trying to make himself out to be a fighter. But Shepard knew fighters when she saw them and Fist was no fighter. Wrex emerged from cover, firing a carnage missile from his shotgun. The projectile slammed into the left turret, blowing it apart and throwing Fist onto the desk. Garrus and Shepard then drew their rifles. They hit the right turret with overloads and kept on firing their rifles until the turret blew apart. Shepard put her rifle on her back and drew her pistol as she approached Fist.

"I assume you know why I'm here so I'll cut to the chase, tell me where the Quarian is or I'll feed you to Wrex," she said.

"I don't know where she is, she came to me with information said she would only give it to the shadow broker himself," Fist said.

"Impossible no one sees the shadow broker, even I was recruited through an agent," Wrex said.

"She didn't know that, I set up a meeting point where Saren's men were going to be waiting. The meeting took place ten minutes ago…"

"You son of a bitch," Shepard snarled, grabbing Fist's neck and pushing her gun against his chin.

"She survived, I had some of my men tail her to make sure the hit men did their jobs. One of those robots saved her, the yellow one you were on the presidium with," Fist explained.

"Bumblebee," Shepard muttered.

"The robot transformed and then drove away," Fist said.

Shepard let go of Fist and turned to Wrex and Garrus. The Krogan mercenary suddenly fired his shotgun, throwing Fist against the wall with a hole in his chest.

"What are you doing?" Garrus looked at Wrex in shock.

"I was given a job to kill Fist, I don't go back on my jobs," Wrex said.

The Krogan widened his eyes as Shepard punched him across the face.

"When you fight alongside me you fight as a part of my unit, which means you follow my orders, so you do not execute an unarmed prisoner unless I say so," she explained firmly.

""How many people have died because of him? Besides you need to find your Autobot buddy, what did you call it…Bumblebee?" Wrex asked.

"I called **him** Bumblebee, Blaster have you heard anything from Bumblebee?" Shepard asked over the radio.

"You'd better switch to a news vid, anyone will do," Blaster sighed.

"That slagging glitching, heaping pile of molten slag, what does he think he's doing?"

"What's got Arcee in a mood?"

"Shepard, you'd better look at this," Garrus said.

She looked over his shoulder and at the vid on his Omni-tool. It showed a Citadel news reporter by the name of Emily Wong. Every word she spoke was uttered with awe as her camera drone showed Bumblebee standing in the lake. Shepard, Garrus and even Wrex watched with equal awe as a light hovered over a figure in the water. Bumblebee's body was as still as a statue, but the light floating out of his open chest looked so alive.

"I'm here with many others bearing witness to an extraordinary scene, doctors within Huerta memorial hospital have been preparing a room for the treatment of a Quarian all on the insistence of one of the Autobots. But on scene the Quarian's condition has worsened and the Autobot delivering her has placed her on the water. Could this light be some kind of funeral ritual perhaps?"

"That light," Garrus gasped.

"Now I get why Arcee was so angry," Shepard sighed.

"Maybe those robots really are sentient, only a sentient being could be that stupid. Show the world your heart and they'll shoot it," Wrex said.

Bumblebee's spark lingered over Tali's body. The light shined down on the Quarian, seeping through her suit and onto the pores of her skin. Cliff Jumper flew down to the Presidium, opening his doors for Kaidan and Ashley.

"Kaidan, Ash the Quarian is on the Presidium with Bumblebee," Shepard said.

"Which one was Bumblebee?" Kaidan asked.

"The one you're looking at right now, get the Quarian out of there and get her over to Huerta now," the commander ordered.

Kaidan and Ashley nodded their heads before rushing towards the lake. They grabbed the Quarian, pulling her away from the spark. Tali opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings in confusion.

"Are you all right ma'am?" Kaidan asked.

"My fever, it's gone, keelah I was at deaths door," Tali gasped and looked at the spark.

"What is that?" Ashley asked.

"It is the light within the heart of every being!"

The trio turned to see Ratchet standing before them. He had a firm and severe expression on his face, directed at Bumblebee as the spark returned to his body. The young scout opened his eyes and blinked in surprise.

"So that's what they call an out of body experience, that was enlightening, don't you think so?" Bumblebee asked the Quarian.

Kaidan and Ashley looked at Bumblebee in shock, wondering exactly what he had done.

* * *

><p><span>Omega Supreme-Briefing room<span>

Ultra Magnus stood in a room was usually preserved for an army. But the arc of hundreds of chairs had been filled by only five Autobots. They were an unruly bunch but their methods were unquestionable. Skilled in combat, dedicated to protecting Cybertron and one another, the members of the lightning strike coalition were as close as brothers. Grimlock was their leader, a strong if ignorant leader. He believed his strength and the strong bonds he formed with his men were all he needed to be a leader. Magnus however felt otherwise, though Grimlock would always be leader of the coalition he would never become a true leader of Autobots.

"I see they're still stingy with Energon rations," the scout of the coalition, Swoop sighed.

"That's one thing that's never going to change," said Slug, the demolitions expert.

"What about the crew, its like we're taking bots straight out of their incubators and slapping armour on them," Snarl, the communications officer look down sympathetically.

"It can't be helped, we need to end this war no matter the cost," logistics expert Sludge said coldly.

"It doesn't make it right Sludge," Grimlock growled.

"Lightning strike coalition, as you all remember you were placed into stasis after the battle of Tyger Pax robbed us of many fine warriors. Dark days are ahead of us, Rodimus Prime has joined his forces with Megatron, whom now leads a force capable of taking the entire galaxy if he so wishes," Magnus explained.

"Megatron," Grimlock squeezed his hand into a fist.

"You obviously require our assistance or you wouldn't have woken us up," Swoop said.

"We need a response team, elite guard forces are stretched thing and we were just preparing to attack an Energon mine under Scorponok's command. Energon is now more important than ever, we can't draw ourselves away from the search, but Rodimus and Megatron are also a threat we can not afford to have stay active," Springer explained.

"So you want us to attack Megatron, that's a suicide mission," Snarl said.

"No, you're to go after Rodimus in the galaxy the Protheans originally occupied," Magnus said.

"I assume a new species has taken up the position left by the empire," Grimlock said.

"Expect hostilities, but do not engage the locals unless fired upon. Your priority is eliminating Rodimus and the forces under his command," Springer said.

"You have another objective of equal importance. Not all of Rodimus's men agreed with his defection, we have Intel that a survey team is already in the galaxy. They are under the command of Orion Pax, whom was able to steal the matrix of leadership from Rodimus. We do not yet know the function of the matrix beyond being a simple badge of command, but the Decepticons will pursue it. Whatever power is or is not inside it cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of Megatron. Keep the Decepticons from recovering the matrix," Magnus explained.

"Exactly how far can we go to protect it?" Slug asked.

"Destroy it if necessary!"

"We accept the mission," Grimlock said.

"Well the boss bot has spoken," Swoop sighed.

"Remember the rules of engagement this time Grimlock, do not fire upon the local life forms unless fired upon, the last thing we want is an interstellar conflict," Springer explained.

"Don't worry, I wont go stomping on the natives, but their problems aren't mine. Rest assured Ultra Magnus I'll fix your problems for you," Grimlock stood up and slammed his fist into his palm, "Even if it means ripping the matrix from Orion's chest and taking command of his crew myself!"

Next Chapter 8: Conclusion

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I got Tali's adventure before she met the commander from her Mass Effect Homeworld issue. Now the next chapter is not the last chapter, so don't think I called it conclusion because its the end. The events in the Citadel reach their conclusion as the council decide what to do with the Autobots and Tali gives Shepard the data she acquired.<p>

Yep the Lightning Strike Coalition are the Dinobots, but they haven't yet acquired the forms we know them for. Will they? Well that's something you'd have to wait to see.

Voice actor time too, these are the voices I imagined when I wrote the characters.

Wheeljack-Doug Erholtz: Voiced Gin Ichimaru in Bleach and Kisuke Urahara from episode 231 onwards. He also voiced Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto, Cao Pi in the Dynasty warriors series and Squall Leonhart in Final Fantasy Dissidia and Kingdom Hearts 2. I kind of imagine him with Gin or Kisuke's voice, the intellectual but he's ideas and inventions are a little on the crazy side.

Blur-Crispin Freeman: You probably know him as Alucard of Hellsing, or Itachi Uchiha in Naruto or Red Arrow from Young Justice. Has many other voice acting roles, but when it came to Blur I imagined Mr Freeman when he voiced Cougar in Scryed, a driver and speed obsessed character whom occasionally talked without pausing for breath.

Grimlock-Liam O'Brien: The gruff demeanor of Grimmlock and his later savagery can be best done by Liam O'Brien, voiced Gaara in Naruto, Caius Ballad in Final Fantasy XIII-2, Ieyasu Tokugawa in Sengoku Basara and Asura in Asura's Wrath.

Ultra Magnus-Michael Ironside: Method actor who mostly does military roles, fitting for Ultra Magnus (he also voiced Ultra Magnus in Transformers Prime). Also provided the voice for Darkseid in the DC animated universe and Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell until Splinter Cell:Conviction.

Springer-Robin Atkin Downes: Voiced the Prince in Prince of Persian Warrior Within, Keran in Dragon Age 2 and Samanosuke Akechi in Onimusha 3.

Slug: Travis Willingham Reprising the role from Fall of Cybertron

Swoop: Mark Allan Stewart reprises the role from FOC

Snarl: Sam Riegel reprises the role

Sludge-Paul Dobson: Voiced Obsidian in Beast Machines, Sideways in Transformers Armada and Graham Aker in Gundam 00


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 8: Conclusion

Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya felt very uneasy. But in the presence of Commander Jane Shepard she felt that burden begin to lighten. She still had the disturbed feeling from her interaction with the machine. The metallic giants were apparently a new species that were negotiating with the Citadel council. Tali rubbed her arm as the Normandy's Doctor Chakwas patched up her suit. The humans had reserved a room for her at Huerta memorial hospital, the safest place in the Citadel. It felt strange to Tali to be able to stay in a place most Quarians were barred from. Chakwas also reacted kindly towards her, keeping Shepard and her teammates out and especially the robots. The red and white robot insisted on checking Tali's condition but Chakwas insisted back that she would personally attend to Tali's wounds.

"Thank you," Tali said to the doctor.

"Ratchet has good medical data, it isn't so bad at its job but it lacks interpersonal skills," Chakwas stated as she finished patching up Tali's suit.

"I don't trust them," Tali rubbed her arms, she felt dirty and sick.

But her immune system felt better than ever. Whatever that creature's power source had done had boosted her system like an antibiotic. She had no doubt that taken her helmet off would still leave her with a fever.

"You don't trust that they are alive or that they come in peace?" Chakwas asked.

"Neither," Tali said.

"Well I trust that they're here to negotiate, that they're here by accident. But that they are alive? I'm not sure; I used to believe that being alive was about birth, about organic nature. But in the past twelve hours I've seen almost childlike reactions from some of the Autobots," Chakwas explained.

"Autobots?"

"Members of the Cybertronian race whom have so far appeared to be friendly," Shepard said as she entered the room. "How's our patient doctor?"

"Fine, in fact whatever the scout did has fixed her fever and her heart rate. Perhaps it was its form of CPR!"

"That seems like a good comparison, and Chakwas Bumblebee has a name, regardless of whether you believe he is a he please call him by his name," Shepard said, perhaps a bit more forceful than she meant to.

Her point still stood, she wouldn't stand for the Autobots being called things just as she wouldn't stand for Quarians being mistreated.

"I hope you're okay Miss, Bumblebee never meant you any harm in fact it would be accurate to say that he saved your life. This group of Autobots doesn't intend to harm anyone on the Citadel; their captain is in negotiations with the council but before that he saved my life at Eden Prime. You know what happened on Eden Prime don't you Miss?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, I do, and my name is Tali, Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya," Tali said.

"Nice to meet you Tali, are you fit enough to move to the next room?"

"I can manage," Tali said, setting her feet on the ground perfectly.

Shepard led Tali into Nihlus's room. There the Spectre sat in his bed with Anderson and Udina beside him. Ashley, Kaidan and Garrus stood at the foot of Nihlus's bed whilst Wrex leant against the wall further from the humans and Turians. All eyes went to Tali and Shepard as they entered, the Quarian trembled with both excitement and fear. She had finally gotten the information to the right people, but they were also in league with synthetics. There was a saying amongst the humans, something about better the devil you know. Tali however had been raised on stories of how the Geth drove their people to near extinction and Saren was ruthless by reputation. In this case it seemed more like the devil you didn't know.

"What is this about Shepard? I already have complaints from hospital staff about these machines bullying staff, as well as speeding and illegal parking. Now I have news that you shot up the wards!" Udina stated angrily.

"We were doing what you tasked us to do Udina, find evidence on Saren's betrayal and if you have a problem with the Autobots take it up with Optimus," Shepard and Anderson smirked as Udina gulped.

"I still can't believe it Shepard, Saren a traitor? I trained with Saren, he's a friend," Nihlus said.

"I imagine its hard Nihlus but we have proof," Shepard sighed.

"What proof?" Udina asked.

"The Quarian," Wrex said.

"My name is Tali, Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya!"

"We don't see too many Quarians, what exactly led you to this 'evidence'?" Udina asked sceptically.

"I'd imagine it had something to do with your pilgrimage," Nihlus said.

"Yes, a right of passage of my people, during my travels I came across a Geth separated from its squad. I disabled the Geth and managed to get a hold of its memory core," Tali began.

"I thought Geth fried their memory core, sometime of self defence mechanism," Anderson said.

"Yes but if your quick and very careful data can still be salvaged. I found information in its audio banks, a communications recording between Saren and what seemed to be his lieutenants," Tali bought up her Omni-tool and began tapping on the buttons.

Nihlus widened his eyes as the voice of his friend echoed through the room:

"Eden Prime was a major victory, the beacon has brought us one step closer to the conduit!"

The Turian sighed and leant his head back.

"So it is true, why Saren?" he slammed his fist into his side table.

"There's more," Tali said as she resumed the recording.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," a cold and smooth woman's voice blurted out of the tool.

"That's, Matriarch Benezia," again Nihlus widened his eyes in shock.

"Whose that?" Shepard asked.

"A leader of the Asari, she has many followers all of whom are devoted to her. It's strange but she always spoke of unity between the Asari and other species. Her daughter Liara T'Soni discovered evidence of the Autobots and their war with the Protheans," the spectre explained.

"Those things were around during the time of the Protheans?" Tali asked.

"According to her yes, that captain Orion Pax also made contact with the beacon and he said that someone had accessed it before him. That must mean that Saren acquired the Prothean data…I'm not condoning what he's done but he had to have risked joining with a Prothean data archive for a damn good reason," Nihlus explained.

"No damn good reason justifies attempting to destroy a whole colony," Anderson said.

"What were those 'Reapers' they were talking about?" Udina asked.

"I have a feeling someone might know," Shepard said.

She activated her Omni-tool and its holographic communicator. Opening the palm of her hand, Shepard created a holographic image of Optimus. The Autobot leader looked at the people in the room, his mouth plate forming into what may have been a smile.

"Ratchet informed me of your actions in the wards and on the presidium, its good to see that you've made progress," he said.

"You've got a giant robot on speed dial? When you just met him a day ago?" Ashley asked the commander.

"What can I say I have that effect on guys," Shepard shrugged her shoulders.

"So this is the Quarian Bumblebee melded his spark with?" Optimus turned his gaze to Tali, looking closely at her Omni-tool. "I can tell you have been through much, your courage should be praised."

"Um, thank you captain," Tali rubbed her wrists nervously.

"Tali managed to find a recording of Saren and an Asari matriarch called Benezia, they were all but admitting to the attack on Eden Prime," Shepard explained.

Optimus rubbed his chin curiously. Ever since speaking with Liara T'Soni he had carried out research on her papers. Her enthusiasm was commendable and though her papers on the Protheans were painted by her ignorant view she had more information on them than anyone in the galaxy, excluding every Cybertronian.

"There is more, here let me play all of it uninterrupted," Tali said.

She rewound the recording and played it in its full form.

"Eden Prime was a major victory, the beacon has brought us one step closer to the conduit!"

"And one step closer to the return of the reapers!"

The next voice filled those whom had been on Eden Prime with a sense of dread. Those whom hadn't been to Eden Prime were just as disturbed by the fierce and metallic voice of the Fallen one.

"The master will be most displeased if he comes to this galaxy and finds the matrix of leadership waiting for him. We must pry the matrix from the chest of the Prime!"

"The Fallen," Optimus snarled.

"You saw what was on the beacon, what was it exactly?" Shepard asked.

"A warning, sent to every corner of the Prothean empire, Eden Prime was the last stand of the Protheans before they were wiped out. Their final act of desperation was to leave hints in key locations where new species were likely to colonise. But over the eons it seems that time has damaged the beacons," despite the situation Optimus chuckled. "If a Prothean survived and was told the inaccuracy of the warning he'd probably say 'communication is still primitive in this cycle' when in reality they didn't use the correct means of preserving the data."

"You know you make the Protheans out to be a little…arrogant," Kaidan said.

"Oh you have no idea!"

"But if the information was damaged how did you figure it out?" Nihlus asked.

"Before the war I was an archivist, the processing of information is something I'm an expert at. The fact that I can speak the Prothean language also helped," Optimus explained.

"So on top of being a soldier you're a librarian too?"

"We were all forced to become soldiers Miss Williams."

"What is the Prothean language like?" Kaidan asked.

"Very aggressive…lets see a common Prothean saying, ah yes…Dooleck KA!"

"What does that mean?"

"Kill him!"

"Catchy, I like it," Wrex said.

"Can we get back on topic, what are the reapers and what is the matrix of leadership?" Nihlus asked.

"The data did include information on the reapers, they were apparently a race of machines that existed fifty thousand years ago, the Geth worship them," Tali explained.

"That is accurate, the beacon was a warning about the reapers. It seems the Fallen may have discovered the reapers or maybe they are using him, it is difficult to say for sure," Optimus said.

"And the matrix of leadership?"

"That is something else that is new to me," Optimus lied. "You should prepare to present your evidence to the council, whilst I prepare for their answer."

Shepard raised her hand to speak, but the Autobot leader immediately cut off communications. He lowered his head and sighed. The matrix was something he had to keep secret until he was certain that he could trust the people of this galaxy. But he was curious over what important the relic had to the reapers and the Fallen. Why did they find it threatening? The collective knowledge of the leaders of Cybertron and a badge of honour were in no way threatening. Optimus already had that knowledge from years as an archivist.

"Is everything all right big bot?" Bumblebee asked as he and Ratchet approached.

"Galactic peace stands at a thread, all because of our arrival. Even though we have given them time to prepare I fear that if Megatron arrives he will cripple their defences, leaving this galaxy ripe for the reapers harvest," Optimus explained.

"Optimus why do we not just leave them?" Ratchet asked.

"Ah agree," Ironhide said. "They're a primitive society. The Quarians seek the destruction of the Geth, humanity seeks domination over all simply because they are new to the galactic scene, the Krogan are violent and vengeful, the Salarians are overcome by logic, the Hanar worship the Protheans as gods and the Drell serve them like slaves for something they did hundreds of years ago and the Batarians…slavery is tolerated and encouraged in their society and the council does nothing. The Terminus system is a wasteland of corruption and criminality, it has no civilisation there and the council lets it continue on."

"Then they are not so different from us," Optimus sighed.

"How so?"

"Our own council ignored the poverty of Kaon, even encouraged it and did whatever it took to keep people from becoming more than they were. When the Prothean Empire first came, a Protoform incubation facility was offered as a sacrifice to appease the Protheans, that in turn drove Megatron to commit acts of unforgiving ferocity against the Protheans. I believe had we caught up with the Protheans, had we gone through the relay to their home worlds we would not have rested until we had destroyed them completely," Optimus explained.

"Yeah you're right, Ah would never have stopped trying to destroy an enemy that wanted us dead," Ironhide said.

"Optimus what are we going to do if the council rejects us?" Bumblebee asked.

"We'll pursue the Fallen, save the colonies he has attacked and when it happens, meet Rodimus and Megatron head on!"

"I don't want to die a martyr," Ratchet said.

"Then I will go by myself, I wont order any of you to follow me into an impossible mission," Optimus said.

"We've already gone this far big bot, so far you've only led us towards amazing things. I never would have been witness to first contact if I had been with Magnus's squad," Bumblebee explained.

"And Ah would never have stood beside one of the finest bots I know if I stayed with the wreckers, that new bunch became major cog holes," Ironhide smiled.

Optimus bowed his head in thanks and turned to Ratchet. His friend seemed particularly conflicted. Despite his gruff demeanour Ratchet cared greatly for the safety of the Autobots under his care. It had come from eons of declaring young bots offline after failing to treat their injuries. Optimus noticed Ratchet's optics focus on the mark on Bumblebee's cheek.

"They'll always be afraid of us, somewhere at the back of their minds will be that fear," Ratchet sighed.

"Then we need to show them, that we are here, that we are alive and that we have the same wishes and desires they do. Some of us desire peace, others vengeance, others wish to protect as I do," Optimus said.

"Really? You say that but you already have Ironhide and Bumblebee beside you. If Megatron comes, if he threatens this galaxy, if the Reapers or the great calamity himself descents from dark space will you stand alone to protect these people whom have rejected you?" Ratchet asked.

_Silence was what he heard. But the yells of his fellow slaves was deafening. The bots of the arena, scarred, battered and starved of Energon stood before him. They pumped their fists as he raised his hand. Though there was silence the yells of those wronged by the council was deafening. The council claimed to speak for the people, but they didn't need to. It was in this moment that he discovered the true voices within the people. Each individual could come to understand one another, thus they would yell for the same thing. The basic right that all sentient beings had, freedom._

Optimus rubbed his head, he needed to ask Ratchet about the flashbacks he was having. He looked at the medic, whom seemed to be disturbed by Optimus's temporary distraction.

"Well Optimus, will you stand as Megatron's army descents upon you, will you stand alone against any threat this galaxy produces?" the medic asked.

"Yes I will!"

Ratchet widened his eyes as Optimus stepped forward.

"For I believe that peace is possible, I will fight against both organic and Cybertronian domination until there exists a world where all peoples can live in harmony and with equal opportunities. Its an ideal world that I hope to live to see become a reality, but if needs be my friend it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die for," he explained.

Blaster and Arcee stood at the entrance to the embassy, both thinking about Optimus's speech. Though it was intended to reach Ratchet it did a lot more than that. Arcee still had doubts over Optimus's effectiveness as a leader, but she had no doubt in his acceptance of the responsibility that came with leadership. Blaster's loyalty was stronger than ever, as was the loyalty of Bumblebee and Ironhide.

"We'll follow you until the end Optimus Prahm," Ironhide grinned.

"I am no Prime, I am just a soldier," Optimus said.

"You're more than that boss bot, if there was a man like you during the council's rule on Cybertron, our home world would have been a much better place," Blaster explained.

"Perhaps," Ratchet hummed, stroking his chin.

"Shepard will soon be seeing the council, I wish to be there to hear their answer for us," Optimus said.

* * *

><p>Megatron looked over his forces as they prepared for inevitable battle and ultimately conquest. He stood atop of his capital ship Nemesis as his scientists continued repairs of the mass relay. The Decepticon leader felt his lieutenant Dreadwing fly up behind him. Dreadwing was one of his most loyal warriors, and even if he did choose to betray him, Megatron was confident in his ability to dispose of traitors.<p>

"The assembly of Starscreams forces is nearly complete, but lord Megatron, is giving him leadership of the Constructicons truly wise?" Dreadwing asked.

"Speak your mind Dreadwing," Megatron said.

"The men have begun talking, Starscream has high ambitions, baseless ambitions but threats can come from the most unexpected of places," the commander explained.

"True, Starscream is a coward, he will only ever threaten me if he believes he has some form of leverage. Such as the Autobot matrix of leadership," Megatron chuckled.

"Is there any truth to the legends, to the power that lies within the matrix?"

"If there is," Megatron narrowed his eyes and formed a fist in his hand, "Then I am the only bot left who can control that power. Mark my words Dreadwing if Starscream tries to oppose me then I will rip out his spark!"

"Yes lord Megatron," Dreadwing bowed his head as Megatron jumped off of the ship.

He transformed to his jet mode, flying towards the construction area and transforming in mid-flight. The Decepticons stepped back as their leader landed in an intimidating pose. Thundercracker and Skywarp were the first to bow, followed by the rest of the army. Megatron raised his fist to the sky and fired off a shot from his cannon.

"ENOUGH! HAVE PRIDE IN YOURSELVES!" Megatron yelled.

The Decepticons widened their eyes, confused over their leader's anger.

"I am not your master, you are not my slaves. We are the free men of Cybertron, not weighed down by the old dated ways. Even morality hasn't shackled us, we are the ones who will save our home world, and we will be the masters of Cybertron. So do not kneel, never kneel to anyone. On the other side of that relay is an entire galaxy of planets ripe for harvest and the organics whom have inherited the Prothean empire. If they stand in our way we will crush them, if they seek our destruction then we will destroy them first." The Decepticons cheered at Megatron's words.

On the observation deck of the Nemesis, Starscream watched the speech with disdain.

'Pathetic, they only follow him because he is strong but he lacks the intellect to lead Cybertron to greatness,' the air commander thought. "I on the other hand," he muttered.

"Your words are treasonous Starscream!"

Scream jumped upwards, turning to see Rodimus standing at the doorway. The former Autobot leader had unlike his Autobot followers adopted Decepticon colours. The red portions of his armour had taken on a black colour, his chest plate was blue and the flames across his body were purple. He also sported the Decepticon symbol on his chest, perhaps signifying his full conversion to their ways.

"And baseless too, no one will follow you," Rodimus said.

"My intellect could save Cybertron, Megatron speaks of abandoning morality but he is still stuck in the past, over his anger with the council and his anger with the Protheans. I am the commander of the seekers, we whom can fly the highest, move the fastest and always look towards the future. Don't forget Rodimus that I was the one whom presented your case to Megatron, if not for me you would be on the scrap pile like Cup…" Rodimus suddenly backed away as Rodimus raised his hand.

"You speak of your actions when in reality Megatron would have agreed with my plan to begin with. He's desperate as we all are to see our home world in its former glory. But there is no future for that Cybertron, only a new Cybertron one where the mistakes of the past are not repeated. For that Cybertron to exist we will need a leader with the wisdom to wield the matrix, you were the first Decepticon to see the sense of my plan…perhaps you are the one to wield that matrix," Rodimus explained.

Starscream smirked as he placed his hands on his hips.

"HA! Whose being treasonous now Rodimus? But you are right, we need new ways of thinking and Megatron lacks that. Those whom have ridiculed me will suffer after I gain the power to take command for myself. Rest easy Rodimus, for you are not one of them," the seeker stated as he walked out of the room.

Rodimus huffed and crossed his arms. When he was sure the commander was gone he looked down at the Decepticon forces.

"Arrogant fool, you have no idea what's coming," Rodimus lowered his head and sighed. "Cup, I am so sorry, but this is how it must be!"

As Rodimus pondered the severity and the future sacrifices his plan demanded, Jetfire floated in space. He looked at the chip he managed to salvage from Sari's body, before Swindle began selling the parts. It was not Sari's spark, that had been extinguished but the chip contained all of Sari's knowledge and memories.

"What are you looking for Megatron?" he wondered.

A beam ran from Jetfire's forehead to the chip. Binary code appeared in Jetfire's field of vision.

"Clever girl," Jetfire smiled.

As Megatron was torturing Longarm, Sari was in fact downloading information from the Prime. It was a more subtle way of information gathering. In the time of the former Cybertron Empire Sari would have made a good hall of records clerk. She had managed to gather and transform into code all of the data Megatron was trying to extract from Longarm in force. Jetfire was no information analyst; he needed to get the data to someone capable of decoding it. Orion Pax served as the best option. He looked at the army beneath him and counted the forces Starscream would be taking. His seeker squadron was a certainty, even though they were down one bot. The green and purpled armoured Constructicons would also be going. Rodimus would want to take Prowl and Warpath with him. Jetfire liked to think that he would be able to out run the group once he had sabotaged whatever vessel they would be taking.

"There he is," Megatron muttered, looking over Sixshot's shoulder.

The warrior turned around and looked at the purple shuttle flying towards the relay.

"His reformation is complete?" Sixshot asked.

"Yes, he has spent hundreds of years trying gain a new form, one that best serves the cause," Shockwave said.

Skywarp and Thundercracker exchanged confused looks as the shuttle got closer and closer.

"Is that our transport?" Thundercracker asked.

"He is more than that, he is also the final member of your squad," Megatron said.

The Decepticons, minus Megatron and his triumvirate stepped back in shock as the shuttle transformed in midair. It turned into a massive, purple and black armoured robot as big as Bruticus. But the giant was his own person, not the fused parts of others. He bowed to Megatron, what would have been a strange sight to anyone whom didn't know of Megatron's power.

"Reporting for duty sir," the giant said.

"Astrotrain, impressive, you have transcended your original form. You will carry Rodimus's forces across the cosmos and pave the way for our arrival," Megatron explained.

"WHAT!"

Megatron narrowed his eyes as Starscream landed on the ground.

"I am the commander of the seekers, why is Rodimus being given command?" the commander asked.

"Because he is clearly the better leader, you will follow Rodimus's commands, if not then Astrotrain will personally eject you from the space flight," Sixshot explained.

Jetfire leant against the observation window, sighing at the sight of Astrotrain. He truly was a monstrous sight to behold. The flying Autobots decision to join Orion Pax had gotten more complicated than he originally believed.

* * *

><p>The 'Autobot embassy' had gathered quite a crowd. Word had already spread of their existence and how they had fought for both humanity and a Quarian. There was no secret to keep anymore, the Autobots were on the citadel and they wanted a place in the galaxy. Members of every species gathered in the grand hall to see Optimus address the council, whether it would be the last meeting he ever had with them would be determined there and then. Optimus stood with Ratchet, Ironhide and Bumblebee and waited. He would not begin his session with the council until the human entourage arrived, until Shepard had proven him right. The holograms of the council waited and waited and then the people they were waiting for arrived. Shepard and her team, new members included arrived with Udina and Anderson. Udina had an air of superiority around him, perhaps because he was finally gaining a victory over the council. Shepard however appeared as Optimus expected her to, as a soldier willing to continue her mission.<p>

"Udina, Anderson, I understand you have new evidence to present to us," Tevos said.

"Will it be more reliable than the witness statement of a machine?" Valern asked.

"It is councillor," Udina said.

"However I think this evidence is best presented by the one whom discovered it and a council spectre," Shepard said.

She activated her Omni-tool, establishing a communication link with Nihlus in his hospital room. He had the windows of his room blacked out, a Carnifex tucked neatly under his pillow. Despite the loss of his ability to walk Nihlus would not be completely defenceless.

"Nihlus, it is good to see you have recovered," Sparatus said.

"Thank you councillor, but I believe Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya of the Quarian fleet has discovered the truth in Shepard's words and more," Nihlus explained.

"Councillors, I am Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya, as you may or may not be aware my people have the right to engage in pilgrimages to search for unclaimed resources. It was during my search that I came across a Geth, they have indeed gone beyond the veil and please believe me Eden Prime will not be the last colony to be attacked, if something is not done about them then they will continue to attack colonies until they reach the Citadel itself."

"Are you making a demand of us Miss Zorah?" Valern asked.

"No councillor I present this evidence because it is the right thing to do, because people have died because of this evidence," Tali accessed her Omni-tool and filtered the recording through the speakers set throughout the hall.

The crowds and the council collectively widened their eyes as the voices of two of the galaxy's most important figures echoed around them. When the Fallen's voice echoed, the Autobots gasped.

"You really did meet the Fallen one," Ironhide said.

"But, the Fallen one was noted to be the most savage of the original Primes, why would he retreat after a single encounter?" Ratchet asked.

"I don't know," Optimus said.

"This evidence is irrefutable, Saren will be stripped of his spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in for his crimes," Sparatus explained.

"I'm more interested in these Reapers, what do you know about them?" Valern asked.

"Only what was extracted from the Geth's memory core and what Optimus has told us, the Reapers were an ancient race of machines that destroyed the Protheans fifty thousand years ago, the Geth worship them," Anderson explained.

"They believe that Saren is the prophet of their return, that's why they followed him to Eden Prime, because the beacon contained information that might lead them to the conduit," Shepard added.

"The conduit may be the key to bringing the reapers back," Optimus said.

"Listen to your words, Saren wishes to bring back the beings that destroyed all life in the galaxy, where did the Reapers go after this? Why did they vanish? Why have we found no traces of their existence? It is more likely that this 'Fallen one' the Autobots refer to had something to do with the Prothean extinction," Sparatus explained.

"Most undoubtedly but I do not believe that the Reapers are simply a fiction, many legends have a small measure of truth to them. Even if they do no exist you should act with the assumption that they do, that these Geth will seek out this conduit and that the worst can happen if they discover it," Optimus explained.

"With respect councillors I agree with the machine's sentiment, we must act with the assumption that the worst can happen and seek Saren out," Nihlus said.

"Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life, he no longer has the privileges of a spectre," Tevos said.

"You think that's going to stop him?" Shepard asked.

"That is not good enough, you know he's hiding somewhere in the traverse, send your fleet in," Udina growled.

"A fleet can not track a single man!"

Optimus narrowed his eyes at the council members as they rejected Udina's plea to help his species. They said that a fleet would aggravate the Terminus systems, that they would risk war over a few dozen human colonies. Part of him understood the desire to avoid war, but the other part of him was disgusted by the council. In particular the Turian councillor, how he callously said that they would be dragged into a galactic conflict over a few dozen colonies, as if they didn't matter at all. He did not see that those colonies had civilians; he did not see the dozens of innocents killed, he did not see the thousands of grieving families.

"_WE SHOULD MAKE THEM SEE!"_

He squeezed his hand into a fist; the images circulating through his mind haunted him. But he knew where his focus needed to be. Shepard too was outraged and she showed it in her blunt assessment of the council. Every time humanity needed help the council abandoned them. Udina nearly threw out an organic profanity, if not for Tevos's intervention. She suggested another way that didn't involve ships. But Optimus could see into her eyes, she played the reasonable one, the diplomatic one but she was just as afraid as the other two.

"_YOU'RE A PACK OF FOOLS! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"_

'What are these images?' Optimus's circuits groaned.

Ratchet looked over at his captain and touched his shoulder in concern.

"Are you all right Orion?" he asked, using is original name.

"I have reached a conclusion," Optimus growled.

"Council if I may interject, I agree with councillor Tevos's suggestion," Nihlus said.

The Turian's face was serious, even defiant of the council's decision. But he was willing to come to a compromise that was perhaps better than a fleet.

"You sent me to evaluate Shepard's capability as a spectre, well I have reached the conclusion of my evaluation. Commander Jane Shepard meets all the requirements to be a fine spectre, that is both fact and my personal opinion councillors. She has shown combat ability deserving of her N7 status, leadership skills that can not only result in mission success but limited casualties, she also possesses the foresight to see the results of her decisions, to know what is at stake and to stand by her decisions," Nihlus looked towards Optimus and his crew, "She has also shown an unparalleled ability to judge another's character, to see talent and allies in even the most underestimated of citizens. To not make Shepard a spectre is foolishness, she has the drive to go through any obstacle regardless of what that obstacle is, and she will to save lives. You all may have your different opinions of what a spectre should be, but I believe that saving lives no matter the cost is what being a spectre is about," Nihlus explained.

The council stood silent for a moment and Sparatus looked to Tevos. She nodded her head as a signal that it was for the best.

"Shepard, step forward," she said.

Shepard stepped onto the podium in Udina's place. She exchanged respectful nods with Optimus and the Autobots. The people gathered looked at Shepard with great interest and awe. It was a moment that history would be made. The councillors stepped forth and each delivered a speech that was reserved for the naming of spectres. Nihlus leant back; proud that he had made a wise choice.

"It is the decision of this council that you be granted all the power and privileges of the special tactics and reconnaissance branch of the citadel," Tevos said.

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the council the instruments of our will," Valern said.

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are the protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defence. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold," said Sparatus.

The decision was made, Shepard was a spectre and she had the task of tracking Saren and bringing him to justice. But it was not just a mission statement for Shepard, but for Optimus too. He knew that he needed to stop the Fallen. Something inside of him told him that the Reapers were real, that they were going to destroy all life in the galaxy. The Reapers needed to be stopped and the council were not willing to do that.

"Are there any leads the council believes I should follow up?" Shepard asked.

"The means of which you use to capture Saren are your own Shepard, good luck to you," Tevos said.

"It may be worth picking up Liara T'Soni, as an expert on the Protheans she will probably be a prime target of Saren's," Nihlus explained.

"I'll take care of it," Shepard respectfully bowed her head and got off the podium.

"Congratulations commander," Kaidan said.

Shepard nodded to Kaidan and shook Anderson's hand.

"A lot of expectations have been placed on you Shepard, you'll need a ship, a crew, supplies, Anderson come with me I'll need your help to set everything up," Udina explained.

Optimus looked away from the humans and towards the council.

"I have reached my conclusion," he said. "Council!"

The projections looked up at the Autobot as he stepped over the podium.

"Whatever conclusion you have reached regarding my people and our place in the galaxy, I do not wish to hear it right now!"

The people gasped at Optimus's statement. It held a certain ferocity and Shepard realised that in some way the meeting with the council had angered Optimus.

"I do not believe this council are the leaders they should be. If you were then nothing would stop you from aiding your allies, not the politics of a galaxy of criminals and slavers," Optimus narrowed his eyes in fury at the statement, the fools considered the Terminus a government. "The Autobots however are not, which is why we will prove ourselves to this galaxy through action, by aiding Shepard in stopping Saren and finding evidence that the Reapers truly do exist," he turned away from the council and to his crew. "We're leaving and we wont come back until this council has become the council it should be!"

The people looked amongst themselves and muttered in confusion. Those whom believed that the Autobots were trying to infiltrate the council were proven wrong. It seemed to Shepard that Optimus had said 'screw whatever offer you have, we know it wont be a fair offer so we won't suck up to you'.

"Is this a good or bad thing?" Ashley leant over and asked.

"Good for us Ash, we've got some more allies, but for the council, I hope Optimus has given them something to think about. 'All or none', I think that's how the Autobots roll!" Shepard said.

"All or none?"

"They intend to save everyone or no one at all," the new spectre said.

* * *

><p>Far away from the political turmoil of the citadel and the internal strife of the Decepticons was another form of conflict. This one was a more literal conflict, people fought for their lives but ultimately failed. The Fallen stabbed his lance into the ground and looked up at his keeper.<p>

"Nazara, the first step has been complete, soon Benezia will have extracted the location of the Mu Relay from the insect and Saren will have gained the cipher on Feros, he has directed his Geth forces to find Liara T'Soni, the foolish woman will not get in our way with her ignorance RAAAGH!" the once proud Prime fell to the floor as energy surged through his body.

The Reaper's eyes glowed in anger and the Fallen responded as if it had spoken to him.

"I know, the Prime will try to find her regardless, but it matters not, our master will not need to fear the matrix any longer. Our contact within the Decepticons assures me that his forces will arrive there before the Prime does, he will find more than Geth waiting for him at Therum," the Fallen cackled.

* * *

><p>Liara T'Soni was running for her life. The Geth were everywhere, spreading across her facility. Their arrival had come without warning; she had so little time to gather her research. She ran through the stone corridors of the mountain, towards the pictogram of the two Cybertronians. Her pistol was on the workbench beside the incredible depiction of two leaders, she only had minutes to get to the barriers by the elevator. They would hopefully provide her with protection to buy some time. The Autobots were interested in her research so they would probably come.<p>

'Goddess, please have someone check my facility,' she silently prayed.

She traced her hand over the pictogram, there was still so much more left for her to learn. The Asari widened her eyes as the lines across the picture began to glow. Like a door it slid open, the sudden movement caused Liara to stumble forward. She slid down what felt like a metallic runway of some kind.

"GODDESS!" she screamed, her biotics flared in an attempt to slow her fall.

It only got worse when the doors sealed behind her, leaving her in total darkness with just a blue light at the end of the runway. Liara put her hands to her eyes as she fell into the light. When she opened them she found herself lying in a pool of crystals. They glowed bright blue, brighter than any mass effect field Liara had seen before and they were beautiful, more beautiful than any mineral Liara had come across in her travels. She shuffled through the crystal, taking care not to cut herself.

'It seems the situations gone from bad to worse,' Liara thought.

She was all alone down there, in some kind of hidden chamber built into the mountain. But the crystals began to shift and move. It wasn't Liara whom had disturbed them.

"By the goddess," Liara gasped as something moved underneath the crystals.

She slid down the bed of crystals, hoping to avoid getting buried as crystals fell off of whatever rose from the bed. It was huge, probably a third of the size of the mountain and whatever it was had been disturbed by Liara's arrival. Liara looked at the mechanical creature, its armour was white with blue areas on the belly and reminded Liara of the alloy she had seen on the Autobots. A red neck extended from the armour, attached to a head of some kind. The head opened its jaws, revealing the jagged edges of its teeth. Like a monster it growled, turning to look at Liara with its yellow eyes.

'This truly has gone from bad to worse,' Liara thought as the white and red metal dragon lowered its head towards her.

Next Chapter 9: Decepticon arrival

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I admit the end was very inspired by The Hobbit :)<p>

Rodimus's new paint job was based on Black Rodimus Convoy, and I took inspiration from one of Nelson Mandela's famous speeches when I wrote out Optimus's speech to his crew about his desire to protect the freedom of the organics, I felt it very much defined Optimus's personality as well, he's a man who will fight for the good of his people and against the evils of his people. Next time Shepard inherits the Normandy and Optimus and Co join her in tracking Saren, but the Normandy crew gets its first taste of Megatron's wrath as Starscream and Rodimus arrive on Therum.

Plus Liara gets fully introduced to the transformer whose sleep she has interrupted. Points if you can guess who he is, you'll have to know your bots from G1 to recognise him :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers or Mass Effect

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 9: Decepticon arrival

Within the deepest reaches of space energy surged and a singularity formed, dwarfing the mass effect. If anyone had witnessed the event then they would have declared mass effect redundant. Cybertronians had mastered spacebridge technology, but with Energon such a precious resource it was rarely used. Astro-train had to use it, for though Cybertronians lived for billions of years time was still a factor they couldn't waste. The giant Decepticon was filled to his full capacity, but they were very much divided amongst themselves. Seekers stayed with seekers, the Constructicons stayed together as always and Rodimus and his trio of lieutenants were closer to what accounted to Astotrain's cockpit.

"Excellent," Rodimus said.

"Where are we going first?" Jetfire asked.

"Therum, a planet in the Artemis Tau cluster of the Knossos system. There is a scientist there who will be of interest to Orion and his crew," Rodimus explained.

"How would you know that?" Thundercracker asked, narrowing his eyes at Rodimus slightly.

"I was monitoring the communications of this galaxy long before we came here. On that planet lies Liara T'Soni, a scientist specialising in the Protheans. She will be able to provide us with information regarding the greatest Energon source the Protheans ever took from us, the Ilos vault," Rodimus turned to the Decepticons and smiled.

"The Ilos vault, I thought that was just a taunt by the Protheans," Prowl said.

"I don't think the Protheans took any energon, though one vault did disappear," Skywarp said.

"What happened to it?" Ramjet asked.

"You're kidding, you don't know about the theft of the Iacon energon vault, it triggered the space race," Thrust said.

"It happened when the civil war began after the Protheans left. Before the Arc was launched and the council's deaths an inquiry was launched into the actions of the council during the Prothean war. An investigator believed that the council was acting in a way that violated the laws formed by Nova Prime, after he completed his investigation he was said to have become so sickened by the council's corruption and the conflict between Sentinel Prime and Megatron that he integrated his own spark into a space vessel. He left Cybertron with a vault of pure energon crystals vowing to never return," Warpath explained.

"Who was this bot?" Starscream asked.

"At the time he went by a simple number designation, when he fused with the space vessel he took on a new name," Prowl said.

"And that name was?"

"Sky lynx!"

* * *

><p>C-Sec was crawling all over the shared G1 and Normandy launch bay. As humanity had been the first species to make contact with them, the alliance had been given an unofficial responsibility over Optimus and his crew. That crew made their way to the ship with an armed escort they were probably perfectly capable of destroying. But in order to encourage trust, Optimus volunteered to ride as a prisoner of the Normandy.<p>

"Sir, with all due respect I think it should be me," Bumblebee said.

"Bumblebee…"

"No sir, we need our leader, turn me over and we wont have lost you if the worst happens," the scout explained.

"You have courage Bumblebee," Optimus said.

"I'm willing to risk my spark to see peace between us and them, I need to do this sir," Bumblebee said.

"Very well, report to commander Shepard then."

Bumblebee pulled a quick salute before transforming to hover car mode. He flew up to the Normandy docking platform. Shepard and her ground team were already beginning their meeting with Udina and Anderson. The new spectre gave Anderson a confused look before the ambassador began speaking.

"Anderson has decided to turn the Normandy over to your command," Udina said.

Shepard, Ashley and Kaidan widened their eyes slightly. The other three new additions stayed back, with Tali hiding behind Wrex.

"What's got you shaking?" he asked.

"Nothing," Tali whispered nervously.

Wrex looked over to the yellow hover car beside the Normandy. He smirked and laughed with a Krogan growl.

"Someone has an admirer it seems," he said.

"Don't say that," Tali snapped.

"What's really going on captain, you owe me an explanation," Shepard said.

"You needed a ship Shepard, the Normandy is quick and quiet and if the worst happens with the transformers…"

"Cybertronians!" Bumblebee interrupted.

Udina widened his eyes at the sudden sight of the yellow mini. He continued staring at the scout as he changed to robot mode. Anderson and Shepard however carried on their conversation.

"I'm needed here Shepard, the truth is my role as captain of the Normandy was never meant to be permanent. In preparation for the arrival of the Decepticons, the Alliance has commissioned a small fleet of ships for my command, the shakedown was to be my last run before I was officially promoted to Admiral," the captain, or former captain explained.

"Congratulations Anderson, but what about Saren?" Shepard asked.

"I trust you'll be able to catch him, and uncover the truth of these reapers and the Cybertronians. You know the crew, they trust you and with spectre authority you'll be able to use whatever means necessary to get the job done."

"But keep in mind you still represent humanity and the alliance, you make a mess and I get stuck cleaning it up," Udina said, nervously turning away from Bumblebee.

The scout mimicked the ambassador's pose, crossing his arms together and frowning at Shepard. He quickly put his hands behind his back as Udina looked at him.

"There is another issue, this thing," Udina gestured to Bumblebee.

"You want to ride with us Bumblebee?" Shepard asked.

"I'd love to Shepard, its supposed to be a whole political gesture too, I'm your prisoner," he transformed to car mode and revved his engine.

"Crew, get into Bumblebee," Shepard said.

"When you say it like that…" Bee groaned.

"There's no way I'm fitting in there," Wrex huffed.

"I'm not going with that thing either Shepard," Tali said. "In fact I can't work with any of them!"

"I thought the pilgrimage was about giving yourself for the whole," Shepard threw the Quarian's earlier words back at her. "I understand you're nervous Tali, but Bumblebee will be in the cargo hold, you're going to have to go past him to get to engineering and Wrex…yeah you're right there is no way you're going to fit in a mini," she sighed.

"Joker, we have cargo entering the bay," Anderson said over the radio.

"Roger that captain, this one isn't going to strip off like the last one is he?" Joker asked.

Anderson ignored the pilot's joke and returned his attention to Shepard.

"Good luck out there Shepard, Anderson I'll need to see you in my office when you're done," Udina said as he walked past Shepard.

"So what is the history between you and Saren?" Shepard asked.

Anderson lowered his head and sighed.

"Ten years ago my unit and I reacted to an SOS on the Skylian Verge, Dr Qian and his science team on Sidon had discovered some kind of artefact that unfortunately caught the attention of a group of mercenaries. At the same time Saren was tracking these mercenaries, the alliance was pushing for a spectre candidate and the council agreed that I could work with Saren to find, eliminate the threat and recover the research data. He seemed intent on not making me a spectre, I don't know why but he hates humans with a passion, maybe he thinks we're growing too fast…maybe he's right," Anderson sighed. "We tracked the mercs to an element zero refinery…in order to cover more ground Saren and I split up, after recovering hostages though the refinery began to collapse, multiple explosions were triggered, Saren had blown up the refinery."

"How many casualties?" Shepard asked.

"All of the ring leaders, even Dr Qian himself, whatever details of the research was lost and hundreds of people in the nearby settlement were caught in the explosion. At the inquest Saren put in his report that I had given his position away, forcing him to take such measures but I think he trigged the detonations on purpose," Anderson explained.

"What reason could he have to do that?"

"Saren is out there for one reason only, to overthrow the council and wipe us out, so long as he is out there none of our colonies are safe. I've seen how he is on missions, when he's killed there's no hesitation in his eyes, no conscience, he would murder a hundred, no a thousand to get what he wants," the captain said fiercely.

"This may sound a little cold sir but sometimes a thousand need to die for a million to live," Shepard said.

"I know how the world works Shepard, but only if there is no other way, Saren doesn't even bother to look."

"Well I'm not going to make that mistake Anderson, don't worry I'll stop him," Shepard offered the man a salute but he shook his head.

"No, the Normandy's yours now Shepard, good luck."

Shepard gladly took Anderson's hand, shaking it. She saluted him over her shoulder though as she walked into the main entrance of the ship. A part of Shepard knew that Anderson wasn't being completely honest with her, that he had omitted certain details of his experience with Saren. She saw the look in his eyes; it had gone deeper than losing the opportunity to become a spectre. Her instincts and imagination told her there was probably a woman involved, and curiously she wondered if the mission had any connection to Saren's present actions.

'I'll have to talk to Joker about it later,' Shepard thought as she changed into her fatigues.

The Normandy was abuzz with activity. Her crew was already getting to work, the engines were humming, CIC was active and the galaxy map had lit up the bridge like a Christmas tree. Shepard imagined similar activity on the G1, the massive shuttle was going through its own activation sequence. Areas of the shuttle slid and made clacking sounds, transformation was a vital component of Cybertronian physiology and that quality also passed to their technology as well. The ship's thrusters and wings extended from its body. Joker smiled as he looked at the ship from his side view. Jazz had a similar smile on his face. Both pilots were eager to get their babies going.

'"Keelah!" Tali gasped, looking at the Normandy's drive core.

"You're our new engineer right? Take position by the monitor there," she nervously nodded at Adams's orders.

"WOW LOOK AT THAT DRIVE CORE!" Bumblebee yelled from the doorway.

"GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THERE AND STEP OVER TO THE MAKO!" Garrus yelled at the scout.

Shepard walked down CIC and Optimus sat at his command chair. He was already clad in his new armour, one to match his change in name. The armour instead consisted of red colours on his chest and blue on his legs. But perhaps most defining of all was the blue helmet and grey mask on his head.

"Autobots, time to fly," he said.

"Way ahead of you Optimus, just wanted to give old creaky knees a head start," Jazz smirked.

"Oh you're gonna pay for that one Jazz, just you wait you'll be radioing us saying 'please slow down,'" Joker said.

Shepard walked to Joker's side and crossed her arms together.

"Pretty bad about the captain right, leads a hundred missions and then gets done in by backroom politics," the pilot sighed.

"We'll see him again, still it feels like I'm taking the ship from him," Shepard said.

"No one feels that way commander, everyone's with you a hundred percent and give them time, they'll warm up to that crazy bunch eventually," Joker explained.

"Thanks Joker, its good to know where you stand too, I'd like the speaker now," she said.

"All yours commander!"

Shepard placed her hand on the button for the intercom.

"Everyone, this is your captain speaking, we have our orders but its more than that, this is something we have to do. You all saw what happened at Eden Prime, that act of terrorism was committed by Saren and the Fallen, and it's our duty to stop them. We know they're hiding somewhere in the traverse, that they are looking for the conduit. Wherever they go we'll follow, we'll chase them down to the edge of the galaxy if we have to, we will stop them. You are the greatest crew the alliance has to offer but we are not alone in this fight, we have allies, people who are willing to step up and help us, doing this will not only prove that we can work together but that humanity has to something to offer to the galaxy, because that's the importance of this mission, this mission is bigger than humanity's interests, those are the stakes and failure is not an option but take heart we are not alone!"

She looked at the side window, matching eyes with Optimus. The Autobot captain nodded his head as a sign of acknowledging Shepard's will for the mission. It wasn't just to stop Saren and the Fallen but to prove to the council that humanity deserved to be on the council, with the Autobots beside them.

"Lets get this ship in the air," Shepard finished her speech in a sharp authoritative voice.

"Yes ma'am!"

"You heard Shepard, lets fly," Optimus threw his arm forward.

The magnetic locks on both ships lifted away from them. Both the Normandy and the G1 took off, zooming past the limits of the city, through their escort and towards the citadel's mass relay.

* * *

><p>Liara remembered a time in her youth at Armali. She had been digging in the grass for ruins as she always did, her mother always lectured her about it but would always get her a new history book after each instance. Except one time, Liara had been unfortunate to actually discover ruins; she fell into a cave and was trapped for hours, she'd actually lost track of how long she had been alone. But when he mother found her, Liara remembered the furious expression her mother had. She knew she had been more worried than angry, but as a young toddler nothing was more terrifying to Liara than seeing her mother angry. At a hundred years old she used to fear Benezia's disapproval, until she found herself trapped in a cave again.<p>

'By the goddess,' Liara thought as the monstrous creature stretched its neck.

As the monster opened its mouth, releasing a sharp roar, Liara dived under the crystals and waded towards a formation of rocks. She pressed her body against the rocks, widening her eyes as she saw a huge metallic tail resting beside it. The monster raised its tail and moved its head around, roaring again.

"Mmmraaargh! That was possibly the longest cycle I've ever had to rest," the creature remarkably spoke.

His voice had a fierce edge to it, but it was somewhat calm. At least as calm as a dragon's voice could be. That's when Liara realised that he wasn't roaring, but yawning and stretching his limbs around.

"Its been so long since I've entertained, come now young Asari, don't be shy," the creature stretched its head, curling around the rock formation and looking at Liara. "Barely reached the matron stage I see, I wondered when your civilisation would find me. Sorry about the mess, regardless of time you cant really clean up when you have no thumbs, tell me your name child, mine is Sky Lynx."

"Liara, Liara T'Soni!" she gulped.

"Nice to meet you Liara Liara T'Soni!"

"No its just Liara T'Soni," the Asari corrected.

"Still afraid I see, its not unexpected, believe it or not there was a time when I was actually quite handsome though still insufferable to others. Although perhaps by Batarian or Yahg standard my behaviour would be quite acceptable," the transformer explained as he moved his head back to its original position.

Liara nervously exited her hiding place and looked up at the huge Cybertronian. From seeing comparisons between Optimus and the Krogan she had realised how big Cybertronians got, but Sky lynx was another matter entirely. He really was the size of a shuttle, perhaps big enough to carry multiple transformers.

"You know about Batarians and the Yahg?" Liara asked.

"Yes, I used to monitor communications you see, after the Batarians pulled that horrifying act on Mindoir I stopped listening. Tell me Liara T'Soni have the Batarians and your people fixed themselves yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see there is something clearly inherently wrong with a species that thinks slavery is acceptable, when they've kept it around for thousands of years, though I suppose the Asari at least have the decency to hide their slavery are they still calling it indentured servitude?" Sky Lynx asked.

"I haven't been to Asari space in fifty years," Liara said.

"I see, you're remarkably young for a working Asari, let me guess you're a hundred," Sky Lynx said.

"Only a hundred and six."

"Well I'm only…hmm, I'd say I'm roughly ninety thousand years old, give or take a few hundreds years but still youg I might add."

"You Cybertronians have remarkably long life spans," Liara gasped.

"Indeed, there actually came a time when we believed we were the first sentient beings to ever exist, but I believe every species sees themselves as the centre of the universe," Sky Lynx sighed and then narrowed his eyes slightly. "You know what I am don't you Asari? How do you know of Cybertronians?" he asked.

"I'm an archaeologist, I came here seeking knowledge about the Prothean extinction but I found your…I suppose runway would be a good guess," Liara explained.

"You found the pictogram I see, good, I trust you were able to decipher its meaning."

"No, what does it mean?" she asked.

"It mentioned nothing of Cybertronians, where did you learn our true name from? It wouldn't have come from any Prothean data, they insisted on calling us machines, they labelled us the Metacon to be destroyed. Its actually quite funny, as an archaeologist you probably seen Prothean depictions of the war, they liked to think that they were turning the tide when the truth is once we began striking back they revealed their true colours as simple bullies, AND RAN AS ALL BULLIES DO!"

The chamber shook at the thunder of Sky Lynx's voice. Despite how initially calm he appeared, Liara was seeing the anger he had pent up inside of him.

"I'm sorry Liara T'Soni, we were greatly wronged by the Protheans, and any revenge wouldn't have been justified. The truth is we weren't any better," Sky Lynx sighed.

"Yes, the corrupt caste system that your council of Primes enforced," Liara said.

Sky Lynx lowered his head, nearly touching Liara because of how close he was.

"How did you know about that?" he asked.

"Optimus Pax told me."

"Optimus Pax," Sky Lynx hummed curiously. "Tell me what you can about this Optimus Pax!"

* * *

><p>The Normandy and G1 were both generally evenly matched in terms of their speed. It was to be expected though; the Normandy had a good pilot. Ironhide stood in his armour making adjustments to the weapons. He was operating on a path blaster, connecting numerous tubes to the chamber that would regulate its power. A small, human shaped car rolled up behind the weapons expert, transforming into a yellow and white robot.<p>

"Sparkplug, what are you doing here, Ah oughta tell Ratchet you're out of the engineering bay, why are you here?" Ironhide asked.

The Minicon communicated his needs through a series of beeps, the usual method most unawakened Minicons used. Awakened was a term Autobots used to refer to Minicons whom had developed full sentience. Sparkplug was one of the first but unlike Red Alert preferred to still communicate through the Minicon language.

"What?" Ironhide widened his eyes slightly. "What exactly do you mean Ratchet is hiding something?" he asked.

Sparkplug raised his hands to speak again, but the said Autobot medic entered the armoury.

"Ratchet, good to see you," Ironhide said.

"I came looking for Sparkplug, the other Minicons reported him missing, come along Sparkplug we have work to do," Ratchet said.

Ironhide looked at the Minicon, whose lips had fallen low in a depressed stare.

"You know I think Sparky might be right!"

Ironhide jumped up slightly as Cliff Jumper appeared behind him. The Autobot infiltrator had returned to his original form since arriving on the ship.

"What exactly are you doing sneaking around lad?" Ironhide asked.

"You know I like it when you're afraid, and quite frankly you've been scared since the captain turned against Rodimus, but you've always been loyal to him, you've even started calling him Prime," Cliff explained.

"Because I believe in him lad, I think Ratchet believes in him too. But he just seems uneasy lately, especially with these flashes that Prahm keeps having," Ironhide said.

"He thinks we haven't noticed but he blacks out sometimes, that outburst to the council wasn't what he was like when we first met him."

"You're wrong there kid, he always had some anger in him and a little savagery too. Should've seen him during the battle of Tigerpax, even though Octane escaped Orion managed to kill off his lieutenants on his own," Ironhide explained.

"Exactly, there's no way a bot whose been a clerk for as long as Orion said he's been can fight that well," Cliff Jumper said.

"You think the captain is hiding something?" Arcee asked as she entered the room.

"Great, we might as well get it out in the open," Cliff sighed.

"Get what out in the open?" Blaster asked.

Ironhide and Cliff Jumper both shook their heads and invited the two bots into the armoury. Shutting the door behind them, the bots had unknowingly been watched by Ratchet. The medic resumed his walk back to engineering, robbing his brow plate with a sigh.

"It seems we truly can't escape our sins," he muttered.

Sparkplug looked at the guilty expression on Ratchet's face. There was no way he could be a traitor, but something did weight heavily on his conscience. Meanwhile Optimus and Jazz sat on the bridge, looking at a display of Therum and establishing a communications link with the Normandy.

"Okay lets see…what do you do in your downtime, besides racing?" Joker asked.

"I don't know, what do you do in your downtime besides flying?" Jazz asked.

"Point taken, there really isn't much else for us is there?"

"True, racing was, Primus it is my life," Jazz chuckled.

"I'll be a pilot for as long as I can, I might become a public shuttle pilot for the transportation industry," Joker said.

"Ever thought about interstellar racing, those modified tridents they use are great, really good engineering!"

"Nah, I'll leave the alliance at an age where I'm too old to fly fast, what about you?" Joker asked.

"There's not really such a thing as retirement on Cybertron, Primus most Autobots want to go down in a blaze of glory, I'd probably settle for something quiet, maybe once my spark has reached its limit," Jazz explained.

"You two seem to be hitting it off rather well," Shepard said as she walked up behind Joker.

"We're approaching Therum now commander, better decide who you're taking with you on the ground team," Joker explained.

"There's a Geth drop ship scouring the surface of the planet," Jazz said.

"Their forces are focused on a settlement near a volcano, it appears to be an excavation sight but there are no life signs detected," Optimus explained.

"She can't be dead can she?" Shepard asked.

"Its possible that the site extends into the volcano, if so then that would interfere with our sensors," Jazz said.

"Then we'll have to land and look for her ourselves," Shepard said.

"Ironhide, Cliff Jumper, Arcee prepare for a ground mission," Optimus spoke over the intercom.

The three Autobots raised their heads to their leader's voice.

"This is probably something we should discuss later," Ironhide sighed.

As the three of them began walking to the cargo bay, Blaster stayed behind, stroking his chin inquisitively. Though the conversation had been interrupted the point of it still stood. Ratchet and Optimus were both hiding something, something more than just guilt over past mistakes. Blaster walked to the corner of the armour and closed his eyes. A device like an antenna extended from his back as he accessed his old communications hub. Blaster understood the need to hide the past; after all he hadn't exactly been honest about his past either.

Blaster had been a radio show host. But Teletraan 1 was more than just his program; it was the system he used for hacking government servers. The closest organic comparison Blaster could find to what he did was an old human website called Wiki leaks. He broadcasted information provided by anonymous parties but eventually began hacking communication and data channels himself. Of course he was discovered and would have faced capital punishment if not for the untimely deaths of the council.

"Accessing Iacon parliament archives," Teletraan 1's voice echoed through Blaster's sensors.

"Inquiry: Orion Pax!" Blaster said.

"Retrieving data…no data available within Iacon parliament records, worker data received!"

"Worker data, Optimus said he had originally started as a construction worker within Kaon. Access Kaon construction worker records, retrieve data," Blaster tapped his arm impatiently.

"Retrieving data…no data available within Kaon construction worker records, Inquiry: did you mean Iacon construction worker records?" Teletraan 1 asked.

'What, but Optimus said that he started as a construction worker at Kaon,' Blaster thought of the contradictory accounts. "Retrieve personnel records, Orion Pax, Iacon hall of records clerk!"

"No data acquired for hall of records, have acquired alternative data."

"Then give it to me T1," Blaster said impatiently.

"Retrieving personnel data, Orion Pax, construction worker, part of team that built Iacon following disappearance of Nova Prime and the declaration of a new ruling council!"

Blaster widened his eyes, immediately cutting his connection with Teletraan 1. The construction of Iacon predated the time Optimus should have come online by billions of years. Whoever Orion Pax was, he had never been a records clerk, in fact the only impact he had was enough to make a short summary of a regular construction worker.

"We are approaching the drop zone, Blaster get to your station," Optimus ordered over the intercom.

"Yes sir," Blaster said nervously.

"We're picking up something on our long range scanners," Navigator Pressly said.

Shepard finished putting on her hard suit, alongside Ashley and Wrex. She narrowed her eyes as the bay doors opened. A formation of jets was flying close to the G1.

"ITS STARSCREAM!" Ironhide yelled.

"DECEPTICONS ATTACK!" the air commander yelled.

A blast suddenly hit the side of the Normandy, knocking the people in the cargo hold off balance. Shepard climbed into the Mako and gestured to Bumblebee.

"WE NEED TO GO NOW!" she yelled.

Bumblebee nodded, transforming to his original minicab form. He followed the Mako off of the ship, using his belly rockets to soften his landing. The Autobot scout slid towards a magma pool. He quickly transformed and jumped over the pool, landing on an island.

"That was close," he sighed.

Bumblebee looked up, Thrust and Ramjet were pursuing the Normandy and the remainder of the Seekers were locked on the G1, blasting it mercilessly. Starscream laughed as he fired a volley of missiles, hitting the top of the G1. The crew felt the ship shake.

"GETH INCOMING!" Ashley yelled.

Bumblebee turned and raised his hands, blocking the pulse rifle fire fro the Geth troopers coming over the hill. Shepard aimed the Mako's turret and fired off a volley, mowing the troopers down. She then looked up at the G1 as it began flying towards the Normandy.

"What are those foolish Autobots doing?" Starscream asked.

"They're using themselves as a shield to protect the humans," Skywarp said.

"Starscream we need to find Jetfire, he disappeared as soon as we hit orbit. Jetfire is a wild card we cant afford to have on his own right now, or even at the Autobots side." Thundercracker explained.

"You think I'm concerned about that cowards location, if he doesn't want to fight then we'll claim the glory ourselves," Starscream transformed in midair and fired a missile directly into the G1's thrusters.

"We've lost engine 1 Optimus," Ratchet said. "Our shields are down to ten percent, I can restore them with Energon but it wont do us much good with our thrusters damaged," he explained.

"Ironhide, Arcee, Cliff Jumper get to ground now, Jazz and Blaster you join them. Ratchet get the Minicons to the escape pod and as much equipment as they can carry," Optimus dove into full leadership mode, getting off his chair and activating the auto turrets.

The turret fire distracted the seekers and gave the Normandy time to fly over the volcano. Geth Colossi fired their blasts at the ship, but Joker easily dodged the blasts. He widened his eyes slightly as Astrotrain appeared over one of the hills. Despite being a troop transporter, Astrotrain still had weapons. He fired his rifle, sending a blast flying towards the Normandy. Joker swerved to the side and a round flew from the main battery, hitting Astrotrain in his right eye. The Decepticon let out a yell as the Normandy swooped over him.

"Told you my calibrations were better," Garrus said, standing behind the main gunner Hector Emerson.

"Starscream, let me go after the humans, they're deceptively stronger than we first believed," Thundercracker said.

"HA! You just want to go after the easier target Thundercracker, focus on the G1, blast it out of the sky," Starscream growled.

"Time to roll," Cliff Jumper said as he, Arcee and Ironhide drove out of the cargo bay.

"The Autobots are abandoning ship," Ramjet said.

"Don't break formation Ramjet!"

Despite Starscream's orders, Ramjet broke off from the main formation and fired at the Autobots driving across the land. They drove over a hill and down into a chasm.

"HA! COWARDS!" Ramjet yelled.

He grunted, feeling a sharp weight on his tail. Jazz hung off of Ramjet's tail from his grappling hook.

"Surprise Decepticreep," Jazz said before firing a blast into Ramjet's belly.

He swung off of Ramjet, landing smoothly on the ground. Ramjet transformed to robot mode, clutching the wound on his chest. Several blasts suddenly flew out of the chasm, the other three Autobots had been waiting. They fired their blasters as Ramjet flew into their line of sight. One blast after another struck the seeker, breaking off pieces of his armour. Jazz fired his grappling hook, hitting Ramjet's leg. He then gave the line a sharp tug, redirecting Ramjet straight into a pool of lava.

"RAMJET!" Thundercracker yelled.

"The fool, this is what happens you disobey my orders, Rodimus will deal with them. Bring that Autobot ship down, then we can tear the matrix from Orion's chest," Starscream explained.

Ratchet ran through the corridors of the ship, leading the Minicons behind him.

"I NEEDED THAT!" he yelled as the Minicons dropped his welder.

"Ratchet, Blaster are you at the escape pods yet?" Optimus asked over the radio.

"Almost there Optimus, but no trace of Blaster, where the slag is he?" Ratchet asked.

"I'm just securing our communications codes sir, we cant let the Decepticons recover it, if so then they might be able to infiltrate the Citadel by copying our access codes," Blaster explained.

"Get out of there Blaster that's an order," Optimus said as he grabbed the path blaster from the armoury.

"I'm almost done," Blaster said.

He clapped his hands together, having succeeded in erasing the flight data. The G1 began getting closer and closer to Liara's dig sight and into Astrotrain's firing range.

"G1, brace yourselves that big one is aiming his cannon right at you!" Joker warned.

But the pilot's warning came too late. Bumblebee, the ground team and the other Autobots widened their eyes as Astrotrain fired a beam straight at the G1's bridge. The Autobots watched as multiple explosions broke chunks off of the ship that had been their home for many thousands of years. Inside the ship alarms blared, colouring every corridor red as fired began to spread. An explosion suddenly threw Blaster against a wall. He croaked weakly, clutching the exposed circuitry on his chest.

"Optimus, I've taken a hit," he said.

Ratchet loaded the Minicons onto one of the escape pods and widened his eyes. He heard the weakness in Blasters voice and knew that he would be mere minutes from going into stasis lock, unless he overrode the protocol. That would result in the loss of his spark if he resumed his reckless behaviour. Blaster suddenly yelled in agony as pieces of debris fell on top of him.

"Ratchet take the escape pod and go," Optimus said as he drove through the corridors of the ship.

"No Optimus, get out of here, leave with Ratchet," Blaster said.

"I can hear the explosions Optimus if I wait any longer…"

"Then go Ratchet, I'll figure out another way to escape the ship."

Optimus transformed to robot mode and crashed through pieces of debris. He threw others aside and made his way towards Blaster. Ratchet squeezed his hand into a fist before slamming it into the release for the escape pod. The minicons would be fine with Sparkplug and Red Alert. Optimus's armour groaned as he lifted the debris off of Blaster's body.

"What are you doing Optimus? You need to get out of here," Blaster said.

"I'm not leaving you!"

"You're gonna die," Blaster growled.

"No one dies today," Ratchet said as he ran up to the wounded Autobot.

"You both came?" Blaster asked.

"We die fighting alongside one another or not at all, no one else gets left behind," Optimus said as he threw off the last piece of debris.

Ratchet transformed to ambulance form and opened his rear doors. Optimus lifted Blaster up and loaded him into Ratchet's cargo bay. With his eyes narrowed in determination he turned to the wall. The barrel of his path blaster expanded before unleashing an energy bolt that pierced through wall after wall, creating a hull in the side of the G1.

"NOW RATCHET ROLL OUT!" Optimus yelled.

The medic engaged his rocket boosters, driving through the holes in the wall and practically flying out of the ship. Thrust took notice of the hole in the G1 and flew towards it.

"Attempting to escape I see," he said cockily.

He widened his eyes as Optimus sped towards him in truck form. Optimus slammed into Thrust, knocking him off balance. Optimus yelled as the G1 slid across the side of the volcano, crushing the Geth in the dig site. He engaged his rockets, swerving to avoid pieces of debris falling from the sky. Optimus changed to robot form, dragging his arm to stop himself. He looked at the remains of the G1 and sighed.

"I have failed," he said.

"Indeed, and what a mess you made of it too!"

Optimus narrowed his eyes and turned to where the voice had come from. Scrapper stood with his arms crossed, his fellow Constructicons were stood around him.

"Optimus, Blaster has received heavy damage, I can put him into stasis lock and come and assist you," Ratchet said.

"No, stay with Blaster, drive across the landscape and try to find the Minicons, everyone else join up with Bumblebee and Shepard and find Doctor T'Soni," Optimus explained.

"Don't be foolish Autobot, you cant possibly hope to overcome the five of us," Hook said.

"There's no way you can win," Starscream said as he and his fellow seekers landed around Optimus.

"I owe you for tackling me," Thrust growled.

Optimus stood his ground, pulling his axe off of his back. Starscream laughed as Optimus prepared himself for battle.

"We need to help Optimus and quickly," Jazz said.

"He ordered us to go to Shepard, I say we obey our orders," Arcee said.

"Might I offer a suggestion!"

The Autobots prepared their weapons, aiming them at the three figures standing on the hilltop. Rodimus stood with Prowl and Warpath, looking down at the Autobots.

"Stand down team Pax, its over," Prowl said.

"Calm down Prowl, I'm sure we can forgive their actions, they were after all following orders," Rodimus said. "Join us, help us to apprehend the traitor and then we can resume our mission to restore peace to Cybertron," the Autobot leader explained.

"Don't listen to him, remember how he executed our comrades," Optimus said.

"SILENCE!" Starscream yelled. "Pathetic Autobot, do you really think you can stand against us, it's nine against one," the commander laughed.

"Count again!"

The Decepticons and Optimus widened their eyes as Jetfire landed at Optimus's side. He stood proudly with the Autobot rebel, sliding out his wrist blades. Jetfire nodded to Optimus and the pair went back to back. Starscream grit his teeth together before releasing a yell.

"DECEPTICONS! KILL THEM BOTH!"

* * *

><p>"By the goddess, what was that?" Liara asked out loud.<p>

She had just finished telling Sky Lynx about Optimus and his crew and the discovery they had made on Eden Prime. The Cybertronian dragon/shuttle grinned, feeling the volcano shake because of the G1's crash landing. He raised his head until it touched the ceiling, soaking in the glow of the Energon around him.

"That is the battle above us, our war has come to your world Liara T'Soni," Sky Lynx said.

"Optimus and his crew must have come to rescue me, I cant stay here much longer I need to get out of here," Liara explained.

"Don't worry Liara, I have the perfect transport."

"Where is it?" the Asari asked.

"You're looking at it," Sky Lynx chuckled.

Liara stood in silent shock as Sky Lynx narrowed his eyes.

"Time for me to rejoin the rest of the galaxy, and to meet this Optimus you spoke of!"

Next Chapter 10: Sky Lynx's flight

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and you all guessed right, Sky Lynx will act as the replacement for the G1. Next time Jetfire and Optimus team up against the Decepticons as Rodimus tries to recruit the other Autobots and Sky Lynx exits his chamber in style.<p>

Quick detail about the voice I imagined Sky Lynx having, probably not very imaginative but his chamber was inspired by Smaug from the Hobbit, so I also imagined Benedict Cumberbatch voicing him (in his fierce Smaug voice, but in terms of attitude more on the lines of Sherlock).

Tell us what you thought of the chapter please


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect or Transformers

Hope everyone enjoys the update

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 10: Sky Lynx's flight

Shepard looked at the devastation caused by the G1's crash. The ship had cracked open the mountain, leading the dig site to be flooded by hot lava. Like a wave it rushed towards Shepard and her team, forcing her to 'jump' the Mako to higher ground. She heard Ashley and Wrex mutter about what little comfort the Mako offered. It wasn't the easiest thing to drive, it wasn't fast or maneuverable but it was built to take punishment. She drove around the new lava puddles that began to form from the crack in the volcano and put the Mako in range of the Normandy.

"Joker, what's the status of the volcano?" she asked.

"Looking angry commander, I'm no expert but I'm thinking now is the time to be getting out of here, or we'll get a taste of Pompeii," Joker quipped.

"Pressly we need a rendezvous point," Shepard said.

"The best I can think of is the mountain the Autobots have landed on," Pressly said.

"What about Doctor T'Soni?" Bumblebee asked, cutting into the conversation.

"A lost cause at this point Bee, unfortunately I don't see anyway she could have survived and even if she is alive her shelter is probably buried under molten rock," Shepard explained.

Bumblebee drove towards a lava pool, transforming just at its edge.

"Maybe you're right, if so then this mission has been a disaster," he sighed.

He widened his eyes as something drove across the lava, sweeping it aside like it was nothing. Astrotrain was in his huge train form and was rocketing towards Bumblebee. The scout transformed to car mode and drove out of Astrotrain's way.

"Bad side of taking the form of a train AT, you can only go in one direction," he taunted the troop carrier.

"Says you," Astrotrain laughed.

He activated thrusters on his sides, effectively turning to chase Bumblebee.

"Normandy, I could use some aerial support him, I'm kind of being chased by a train," Bumblebee said.

"Have you considered getting off the tracks?"

"Very funny Joker, your piloting is actually mediocre by Cybertronian standards!"

"Take that back!"

"Then prove me wrong," Bee retorted.

The Normandy swooped down on Astrotrain, firing missiles towards him. Astrotrain suddenly transformed, bashing the missiles aside. He fired at the Normandy, missing the ship as it flew into orbit.

"Cogging humans, and you, face me coward," Astrotrain growled at Bumblebee.

"Sure let me think about it no way!" Bee laughed before igniting his thrusters, jumping over a lava pool and driving to Shepard's position.

"Somebody looks pissed," Wrex said, looking through the Mako's rear camera.

"I think I'm starting to lean towards those things being alive," Ashley muttered.

"You had doubts before?"

"Eyes on the road Shepard!"

The Mako struck a bump, tipping slightly to the right. Shepard gave a sharp whistle as the vehicle shook. She looked at her rear view camera at the stampeding form of Astrotrain. Bumblebee expertly moved into a reverse drive position and fired his chain guns at the Decepticon. Despite the show of expert driving his attack did little to stop Astrotrain's rampage. Wrex fired the Mako's turret, pelting Astrotrain with bullets before hitting Astrotrain's eye with a grenade.

"This is definitely not like the chases I saw in old movies," Shepard muttered.

"Yeah for one thing the drivers were actually good, ma'am," Ashley said.

"Keep this thing straight Shepard I cant get a clear shot," Wrex said.

"Forget about it you're just pissing him off Wrex."

"When your opponent is angry they give you an opening!"

"He's right Shepard, let me show you," Bumblebee said.

The scout drove straight towards Astrotrain. Bumblebee moved at top speed, transforming just as Astrotrain swung his fist. He jumped onto the fist and ran up the giant's arm, firing his blaster straight at Astrotrain's eye. Astrotrain pulled back in pain and Bumblebee kept on running. As the giant moved his other arm to grab him, Bumblebee jumped back and fired a grenade for good measure. The grenade impacted with Astrotrain's eye, sending bits of circuitry and oil leaking to the floor. He fell back, slamming into the ground. Despite the vulnerability of his opponent, Bumblebee didn't stick around. He transformed to car mode and resumed following Shepard.

"Normandy, meet us where the other Autobots are, circle around that area and give me reports on the situation, Bumblebee can you reach the others?" Shepard asked.

"I'll patch you through to Ratchet commander," Bumblebee said.

"Who is this, I don't have time to be baby sitting I have a patient to care for," Ratchet's voice clearly displayed his distress over the radio.

"Who took a hit?" Wrex asked.

Ratchet ignored the Krogan and focused on his patient. They had taken position at a cave not too far from where Optimus landed. Blaster had automatically gone into stasis lock and Ratchet began surgery on the communication officer's damaged transformation cog. If the damage was as severe as Ratchet dreaded then Blaster would potentially lose his ability to transform.

"Bumblebee, Shepard," the medic regarded the human with much hesitation, "If possible grant me a favour, before you meet with the others find the Minicons, particularly Spark Plug and Red Alert," Ratchet explained.

"Normandy change of plans, run a sweep on the area surrounding the G1 crash, find the escape pods, they might have the Minicons inside them," Shepard said.

"Commander if I may you should focus on getting out of there," Pressly said.

"I'll take it under advisement, now find those bots Navigator!"

Wrex and Ashley held onto their seats as Shepard swerved, unceremoniously bouncing down a hill as she began her search for the Minicons. Bumblebee followed close behind, but in a far smoother fashion.

* * *

><p>Optimus and Jetfire stood with the remaining Decepticons around them. Like a scene out of an old west movie the two heroes seemed hopelessly outmatched. But that was only in quantity, the quality of the Decepticons warriors was abysmal. The reaction to Starscream's order was instantaneous, from both the troops and their targets. Optimus hacked at Skywarp's shoulder, throwing him aside. Jetfire then jumped up, punching Thrust and kicking Longhaul in their faces. Optimus span his axe around, deflecting Thundercracker's sword and slamming his elbow into Hook's face. Hook stumbled back, knocking against Longhaul. Bonecrusher rushed towards Optimus like the berserker he was, only for Optimus to duck as he dived. The berserker landed on top of Thrust.<p>

"IDIOTS THERE ARE ONLY TWO OF THEM!" Starscream yelled.

Jetfire slid out his wrist blades, slashing Hook and Mixmaster before flying at Starscream. The air commander stumbled back, before Jetfire kicked him across the face. Optimus threw his axe, striking Scrapper's shoulder and pinning him to a rock. He then delivered a vicious punch to Mix Master's face, knocking his jaw out of place. Jetfire hovered above the floor, moving from one Decepticon to another. He kicked Skywarp in the face, knocking him into Thrust and then flipped, kicking Bonecrusher face first into the ground. Optimus tackled Hook, slamming him against the ground and then ran towards Scrapper. He grabbed his axe, painfully yanking it off of Scrapper's shoulder before striking the Constructicon's leg. Scrapper fell to his knees and widened his eyes as Optimus swung his axe towards his neck.

"_Execute! Execute! Execute!" the crowds continually chanted._

_Who was he not to grant them their request? He was a servant to their will after all. None in Kaon could rise above the elite. But who came up with the term elite, whom had chosen to segregate? Those were questions he asked himself and had concluded long ago that it was in his people's nature to enjoy violence just as it was in their nature to abhor violence. But did it have to be his nature to be an executioner? He wondered as he looked at his helpless opponent, the defeated whom the crowd demanded to be executed._

"_Do it," his fallen opponent said. "Please," he even begged, "I cannot live like this, as a slave to another, please…GRANT ME FREEDOM!"_

Optimus clutched his head, yelling in pain. Scrapper took advantage of Optimus's distraction and punched him across the face. Hook then tied his cable to Optimus's arm and threw him into Jetfire's back.

"Slag it, Orion what happened?" Jetfire asked.

"Flashes, in my processors, don't know what they are," Optimus snarled.

He locked his axe with Thundercracker's sword and Jetfire kicked Thrust back.

"I might be able to offer an explanation, as long as we survive this," Jetfire said.

Optimus slammed his fist into Thundercracker's face, throwing the Seeker back.

"Then focus on the fight, focus on winning," Optimus jumped and kneed Hook in the face.

Then he grabbed the Constructicon and threw him against the rocks. Jetfire began to take flight, grabbing Optimus's arm. Optimus hung off of the floor, slamming his feet into Starscream before Jetfire flew over a pool of molten rock. Skywarp, and Thrust fired their rifles at the escaping Autobots, hitting Jetfire's shoulder. Jetfire threw Optimus onto the nearby ledge and flew higher, keeping himself away from the lava pools. He landed on the rock and rushed to the edge, grabbing Optimus's hand and pulling him back up.

"Perhaps we should just focus on survival for now," Jetfire said.

Optimus nodded his head before shoving Jetfire to cover. Both hid behind boulders, keeping themselves covered as the Decepticons kept on firing on them.

"Autobots, we are in need of immediate assistance," Optimus said.

"Ignore him my brothers and sister," Rodimus spoke abruptly as he approached the team.

Jazz kept his blaster at the ready, just like Warpath and Prowl. Rodimus however showed no sign of caution and regarded the Autobots as if they were still his friends.

"You have gone so far because Optimus ordered you too, you were only following your commander's orders. No one can fault you for that, join my side and you will be exonerated of your crimes, all will be forgiven," Rodimus explained.

"So has Sentinel Prahm granted you sole authority?" Ironhide asked.

"You may forgive us Rodimus but we will never forgive you for killing our brothers and sisters," Arcee said.

"Do not be foolish, Sentinel Prime is gone, Ultra Magnus is a relic and I was in possession of the Matrix of leadership long before your commander Orion took it. But I suppose its common to face criticism from you Ironhide, you are after all a soldier. Incapable of seeing beyond his gun and stuck in the conflict, you don't want peace, you just want the fighting to continue. Arcee please be reasonable, you too Cliff Jumper, Cup was my mentor and my friend…"

"And you just executed him like you did everyone else," Cliff growled.

Rodimus sighed and turned away from the Autobots.

"Not lifting a finger as Megatron finished Cup was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But alas Cup was too a relic, consumed by old and inconvenient ways of thinking, the same goes for Magnus, Sentinel and Cerebros, if they ever reach this galaxy then they will seek allies to destroy Megatron, tell me how are Orion's negotiations with the council?" Rodimus asked.

"How could you possibly know about that?" Jazz asked.

"I have good allies, ones capable of assuring not only our survival, but the rebirth of our home world…think about it, to step on our home world again without the degenerates that led to its ruin in the first place and forge a new empire, a place where all are one," Rodimus explained.

"Ah don't think so, Megatron ain't just gonna make peace with everybody who surrenders to him," Ironhide said.

Optimus drove across the landscape in truck mode as Jetfire flew overhead in his flight mode. He flipped in midair, dodging the missiles fired by the seekers. Optimus fired a hook from his front, which Jetfire grabbed in midair. Gathering all of his strength, Jetfire threw Optimus like a hammer. The Autobot rebel slammed his knee into Skywarp's nose, knocking the seeker into Thundercracker. Both seekers fell to the floor, inches from a pool of molten rock.

"That was close," Thundercracker sighed in relief.

Starscream landed by his troops and kicked them both.

"Get up you idiots, they're getting away," he said.

"Where exactly are they going to get away to Starscream, they cant all squeeze into that human ship," Skywarp said.

"Plus you aren't really chasing them," Thundercracker added.

"Are you questioning my authority Thundercracker?" Starscream growled.

"I only question you when you prove to be incompetent, you're in command here its your responsibility if we fail!"

"A leader is only as good as the troops as he commands," the seeker leader huffed.

"I'm glad I left them when I had the chance," Jetfire muttered as he turned to jet mode and hovered towards where Optimus was driving.

The Autobot truck hopped over the landscape, continuing to drive down the natural road that had formed in the rock.

"Jetfire, what's led you to us?" Optimus asked.

"Same thing that drove you away Orion, I didn't agree with how Megatron and Rodimus were doing things," Jetfire explained.

"I'm Optimus now, listen my men might not trust you immediately, we haven't had a lot of luck in this galaxy," Optimus said.

"The usual organic cliché of mistrusting machines, I would have thought they'd have defined life by now," Jetfire huffed.

"Many of my team mates do, but it isn't that simple, these organics have not yet come to understand AI and the potential for life within each code. But there is an unlimited capacity for good within each of them, especially Commander Shepard," Optimus explained.

The Mako suddenly jumped over the two Autobots, landing with a bounce across the ground.

"If we're going on a hunt for these minibots could you at least drive in a straight line?" Wrex asked.

"Its not that bad," Shepard said.

"What about that cliff?" Ashley asked.

"It would have taken me an hour driving around it, driving over it was quicker!"

"I'm still amazed you managed to make it up there," Wrex said.

The hatch of the Mako opened and several Minicons rolled out of the vehicle, all were seemingly desperate to get out. Wrex poked his head out of the hatch and then narrowed his eyes at Jetfire. Both Autobots transformed to robot mode and looked towards the Mako.

"Apparently decent driving isn't part of her unlimited potential," Jetfire said.

Wrex reached into the hatch and pulled out his shotgun.

"So there's a new one, this guy friendly?" the Krogan asked.

"The Minicons seem to think so," Ashley muttered, watching one of the Minicons approach Jetfire.

"Your designation is Comettor right?" Jetfire asked.

The Minicon nodded its head, generating a beeping sound. It scanned Jetfire's form and changed its armour to a red and white colour before assuming a jet mode.

"How about this, while you and Optimus search for the other Minicons I'll support that human ship," Jetfire said.

"Joker, you've got a friendly incoming," Shepard said over the radio.

"Really is that what it is?"

The team looked up and saw the Normandy fly by, with Astrotrain on its tail. Astrotrain turned into robot mode and fired his rifle at the Normandy's wings. Joker dived downwards and then flew the Normandy up a mountain. Astrotrain hit his leg on the mountain but that didn't stop him from continuing his pursuit.

"All right you want to prove yourself then get that giant away from my ship," Shepard said.

Jetfire nodded his head and jumped into the air. He transformed to jet mode and flew behind Comettor. The Minicon folded in midair, turning into a cannon shaped object. Red lasers shot from the joint of the cannon and linked with Jetfire's nose cone. The Minicon slammed into Jetfire, completing the powerlinx process. Jetfire flew directly into the clouds, performing barrel rolls as he targeted Astrotrain. The Decepticon turned into shuttle form and targeted the Normandy. Cannons folded out of Astrotrain's side and the barrels glowed as they extended.

"HE'S GOT A LOCK ON US!" Pressly yelled.

"WHERE'S THAT FRIENDLY SHEPARD!"

Joker widened his eyes as his rear view camera caught a glimpse of Astrotrain. Jetfire fired Comettor's cannon, hitting Astrotrain from above. Astrotrain turned to robot mode and rolled, firing his rifle at Jetfire. The former seeker flew to the left, and then to the right before turning to robot mode. Comettor transformed in midair, from his robot mode to a rifle. Jetfire grabbed the rifle and fired an emerald beam straight into Astrotrain's wing. The wing broke apart and Astrotrain yelled as he began losing altitude.

"WE AREN'T THROUGH YET JETFIRE!" Astrotrain yelled.

He looked at the path ahead and widened his eyes. The giant Decepticon screamed before he slammed headfirst into a mountainside. Jetfire and Comettor changed to their vehicle modes and flew smoothly beside the Normandy.

"Wow, I'd love to fly one of those," Joker whistled.

"Your ship is secured commander," Jetfire said over Shepard's radio.

"Good, we're continuing the search," Shepard stopped the Mako at an escape pod and climbed out with her rifle at the ready.

Optimus stopped at another pod and changed to robot mode. He placed his hand on the ground and opened his palm. Sparkplug cautiously looked out of the pod and upon seeing Optimus smiled. The Minicon ran out with its friends as Optimus turned to truck mode. He opened his cargo doors, allowing the Minicons to climb in safely.

"Thank you for helping us Shepard, we hope we haven't been a burden," Red Alert said.

"Oh no it isn't cramped in here at all," Wrex huffed, feeling a Minicon's leg digging into his back.

Ashley sat uncomfortably between two other Minicons. She looked to Shepard with a raised eyebrow. The commander merely grinned but her face grew serious as a red and white robot landed in front of her.

"Surrender human," Starscream pointed his rifle at the Mako.

"Gee let me think about that…nope!" Shepard fired the Mako's grenade launcher, hitting Starscream in the eye.

The seeker commander pulled his head back, clutching his damaged eye socket. Shepard accelerated the Mako to full speed and drove through Starscream's leg, tripping him to the floor. She quickly turned as she caught sight of Skywarp flying through the air.

"Cone head incoming," Wrex said as Thrust approached from their flank.

Suddenly, Bumblebee jumped off of the nearby hill. He transformed to robot mode and kicked Thrust in the belly, throwing him into Skywarp. Thundercracker transformed in midair and fired his rifle at Bumblebee and the Mako. Bumblee transformed to car mode and drove past Starscream. Thundercracker held his fire as the Mako drove over Starscream, jumping off of the Decepticon's head with its thrusters.

"Blasted humans, I'll make them suffer for this, and you," Starscream turned to Thundercracker. "Why did you stop firing at them?"

"I couldn't get a clear shot with you in the way Starscream," Thundercracker said.

"Maybe if you hadn't gotten scrapped by a primitive organic tank you could lecture us Starscream, but don't tell us about shooting when you couldn't take them out either," Skywarp explained.

"What are you doing fool? GET AFTER THEM!" Starscream yelled.

"For the last time Starscream, they haven't got anywhere else to go, so unless that volcano is gonna spout a space ship don't…" Skywarp paused as the volcano suddenly became active again.

But instead of spouting molten fire, it let out blue energy. The transformers widened their eyes, recognising the substance as energon. Joker and Jetfire flew around the volcano, analysing the shadow emerging from the energon. It flew out in the form of a white shuttle before its wings extended and its front stretched out, opening like a jaw. The creature roared, an effect louder than the eruption of the volcano itself. Joker looked at the dragon creature in shock and amazement.

"There is a dragon too? What next a transforming city?" Joker asked.

"Well we do have…wait never mind," Jetfire muttered.

"Are you saying you have a transforming city?"

"Is it a Decepticon?" Kaidan asked.

Jetfire zoomed in on the symbol on the dragon's armour.

"Its definitely one of ours," he said with a smile.

"Alliance ship do you read me?" a voice asked over the radio.

"Wow, looks like the dragon is a lot more soft spoken then we thought," Joker quipped.

"What? No the dragon isn't me I'm inside of it…now wait that sounds like he ate me, my name is Liara T'Soni and…" the Asari paused as she looked at her surroundings.

She was inside what was essentially a bridge made for giants complete with a command chair, navigation posts and even a star map.

"I've discovered the most amazing thing in the galaxy," she sighed.

"Why thank you," Sky Lynx said.

"Identify yourself Autobot," Jetfire said.

"You have the pleasure of flying alongside Sky Lynx, the great energon thief, do you support the old ways of the council?" Sky Lynx asked.

"The great energon thief," Bumblebee gasped.

He and Shepard stopped by the cave Ratchet had hidden inside. Shepard and her team moved with the Minicons until they reached the end of the cave. There Ratchet was running a scanner over Blaster's body.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," the medic sighed.

"Is he all right?" Shepard asked.

Ratchet turned to Shepard and huffed

"He's in stasis mode, his spark is protected for now," he said.

"We'll assist with his treatment," Red Alert said.

"Its no use, without a proper facility I wont be able to repair him and even with proper care I feel that he wont be able to transform to a vehicle mode again, his T-Cog was damaged," Ratchet explained.

"Can't you just replace it?" Ashley asked.

"Do you think I would be so depressed if it was a simple matter? T-Cogs are a part of our physiology, we are born with them and we die with them, you cant just weld them to the body like spare parts, his transformation will be incomplete, he'll be thought of as a cripple by his fellows," Ratchet lowered his head and sighed.

"I wont think of him as a cripple Ratchet!"

Ratchet turned to the entrance of the cave and saw Bumblebee.

"Blaster is always going to be my friend, whether his transformation is complete or not, it's the same for all of us Ratchet, we're all we have out here, we cant afford to reject one another especially if the rest of the galaxy rejects us. We stick together no matter what, we never leave a man behind and we trust in each other and in the path that the boss is leading us down," the scout explained.

"Bumblebee is right," Jazz said.

The other Autobots nodded their heads as they slowly drew their weapons. Prowl and Warpath were both astonished by the loyalty the unique team of bots showed. Even as the Constructicons rolled up the hill and the Seekers flew around them the Autobots didn't falter.

"They are at least loyal to their commander," Prowl said.

"I am their commander," Rodimus growled.

He stepped forward, glaring at the Autobots.

"Fall in line, please, servitude is preferable to destruction," the Prime said.

"Not on your terms!"

Rodimus turned as Optimus jumped up the cliff. The rebel transformed into robot mode, sending the Minicons scattering across the floor. They ran through Prowl and Warpath, hitting them with laser blasts. Both Autobots shielded their faces, but then looked to Rodimus and Optimus. The matrix bearer slammed his fist into Rodimus's face, brushing it through his cheek and knocking him to the floor. Rodimus slid across the rock, clutching his cheek. He looked at Optimus and widened his eyes. His chest was releasing a soft glow. Jetfire and the Normandy flew over the mountain, firing missiles that knocked the Constructicons off of the cliff. Jazz fired his grappling hook at Thrust and pulled the seeker down, sending him crashing into Cliff Jumper's fist.

"I do not walk the path of the old council, I still don't know whether the path I am walking is the right one, but I will continue to walk it and if I must sacrifice then that sacrifice will be mine, no one else's," Optimus slammed his fist into the palm of his hand as he spoke.

"That's our leader," Bumblebee smiled.

"Optimus…Prime," Ratchet whispered.

"Well that's as good an answer as any," Sky Lynx grinned.

"Sky Lynx, please pick up my medic first," Optimus said.

"Belay that, I am the Prime here," Rodimus said.

"Order ignored!"

"ORION!" Rodimus yelled as he got off the floor. "There is something coming, something we can not stop, if we try then it will send us back to the days before we even knew how to speak…please you must follow me or our people and every other species in the entire universe will be doomed!"

Optimus raised his head and looked at Rodimus in shock.

"No, you couldn't be…you betrayed us all, even Megatron!"

Warpath and Prowl looked at Optimus curiously and then looked to Rodimus. The Prime had a desperate look in his eyes but Optimus's eyes were set in a determined gaze. He knew what he had to do, unlike Rodimus. The seeds of doubt had been planted in both Warpath and Prowl. Elsewhere, Bumblebee began helping Ratchet carry Blaster out of the cave. Shepard and her squad aimed their rifles at the sky as Sky Lynx landed, his metallic talons dragged against the rock to slow his speed. He rested his wings and looked down at the Autobots and organics.

"Ah a Krogan and two humans hanging out with robots, I think that's the start of a joke," Sky Lynx said.

"Are you really Sky Lynx?" Ratchet asked.

"There aren't a lot of Cybertronians willing to give up their robot modes you know, oh if only I had gotten that triple changer upgrades my stasis cycle would have been so much more comfortable," Sky Lynx sighed.

"Hey Commander, do you want us to pick you up or would you prefer going into the belly of the beast?" Joker asked.

"Dr Liara T'Soni is in there right?" Shepard asked the dragon.

"Indeed, Dr T'Soni, you have a visitor!"

Liara stepped shyly out of Sky Lynx's loading ramp. She looked at Shepard and sighed in relief.

"Thank the goddess are you with the alliance?" she asked.

"The alliance, the council, a bit of both really, I'm a spectre," Shepard said.

"They made a human a spectre?"

"Yep and I'm here to take you in, your mother is working with Saren."

"How do we know she isn't working with Saren?" Ashley asked.

"The Geth were after her," Sky Lynx said.

"And we're supposed to take your word for that?"

"Enough, Liara comes with us, we need to get off this planet as soon as possible, Sky Lynx can you pick up team Prime?" Shepard asked.

"That sounds so much better than team Pax," Bumblebee muttered.

"Lets just get off this planet," Ratchet said.

He and Bumblebee carried Blaster into Sky Lynx's cargo area. The Minicons had already begun prepping a hover stretcher.

"What medical facilities do you have?" Ratchet asked as Sky Lynx closed his hatch.

"It will suffice for a patch job, follow the lights," Sky Lynx said as he activated his interior lights on a convenient path to the medical bay.

"You're like Omega Supreme and the fortress right?" Bumblebee asked.

"I consider myself to be an original, Omega and Fortress cant turn into a dragon," Sky Lynx chuckled.

The Mako sped across the landscape, dodging pools of molten lava.

"I think I should have stayed on Sky Lynx," Liara muttered uncomfortably.

"How is my driving a thing already?" Shepard asked.

"We're almost at the pick up point," Ashley said.

Sky Lynx flew over the Mako, flapping his wings and igniting his booster rockets. He unleashed a blast of fire from his mouth, creating a line between the Decepticons and the Autobots. Sky Lynx landed behind the Autobots, spreading his wings in a pose that intimidated the Decepticons.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Thundercracker yelled as Sky Lynx spat out a fire blast.

Sky Lynx opened his cargo hatch and beckoned for the Autobots to enter.

"Autobots transform and roll out," Optimus said as he changed to truck mode.

One by one the Autobots transformed to their respective vehicle modes and drove into Sky Lynx's hatch. Jetfire swooped over the Decepticons and landed smoothly on his feet inside Sky Lynx's cargo area.

"Welcome to the team Jetfire," Jazz slapped Jetfire on the back.

The Mako used the top of a cliff as a makeshift ramp, jumping into the Normandy's cargo hold. Joker promptly closed the hatch and began flying alongside Sky lynx. Both ships activated their deep space thrusters and began flying above the planets atmosphere. Starscream looked up at the two ships until they became mere lights in the sky. He yelled in fury and then lowered his head, the terror evident in his eyes. Astrotrain was damaged, Ramjet was dead and the Autobots had gained not one but two allies, one of whom had replaced their transport. He ran a hand over his face, fearing what Megatron would do when he discovered his catastrophic failure. Rodimus however looked at where the Autobots had been with a distant look in his eyes.

"You fools," he muttered. "I was trying to save you, Saren and the Fallen will not be so sympathetic to you!"

Next Chapter 11: The colony

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><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time Ratchet does what he can to save Blaster's life and Jetfire tries to bring some light to Optimus's memories as they aid Shepard in saving Feros.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

Hope everyone enjoys this chapter, I actually had some trouble with this one, I felt like this was a let down from the other chapters despite its content, a lot of important things are at least hinted at in this chapter (along with the introduction of another character) but you can all have your own opinions to the quality of the chapter.

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><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 11: the colony

Sky Lynx, the great energon thief, never did Ratchet believe the bot whom had been most opposed of the old council would be the one to save them, soldiers of a civil war he had left behind. Ever more surprising was the extent of Sky Lynx's reformation. He didn't just increase his size or turn his alternate mode into a shuttle; he became a shuttle, complete with all the facilities the Autobots needed to make a new base. Of course he lacked a long-range communication system, that was Sky Lynx's personal prerogative. He had isolated himself from his people and the rest of the galaxy, watching it go by. Optimus himself wondered just how much Sky Lynx had seen of the new galaxy and the old, had he witnessed the fall of the Protheans? That was a question that Optimus intended on finding the answer to. He and Jetfire were standing on Sky Lynx's bridge and the place where they could communicate with him.

"How long have you resided in this galaxy?" Optimus asked.

"Since the Asari discovered the Citadel, I knew that the Protheans were fighting a war but I always thought it had something to do with their primitive political system, they have a nasty habit of conquering other races, it was only a matter of time really before one of those slave races pushed back," Sky Lynx explained.

"By the goddess, I never thought the Protheans were so violent," Liara gasped.

She and the rest of Shepard's team sat in the Normandy's briefing room. Wrex had wedged himself into a chair and Shepard stood near the communication console. Three pedestals had been set up to allow instant access to the council. Shepard however had no interest in contacting the council yet, debriefing the team and seeing to the status of the Autobots was a political and personal priority.

"Get used to the idea Doctor T'Soni, I believe some of Optimus Prime's crew can recount the brutality of the Protheans," Sky Lynx said.

"What exactly did you find out about the Protheans Doctor T'Soni?" Optimus asked. "And don't call me Prime," he muttered to the ship.

"That they were a galactic empire that had uplifted many civilisations," she said.

"Enslaved and indoctrinated more like," Jetfire huffed.

"Indeed, what records I could find painted a very bias picture of the empire, that may have shaped my initial view of them but I have begun to see just how brutal and undeveloped their style of government was," Liara explained.

"Unfortunately our system of government was no different, corruption existed within the council and a rebellion had been brewing before the arrival of the Protheans," Optimus said.

"Indeed, how close were you to these events Optimus?" Sky Lynx asked.

"I was a records clerk!"

"You fight well for a librarian," Jetfire said.

"I…I believe we have a priority, what do you know about the conduit?" Optimus asked Liara, avoiding Jetfire's look.

"I only know that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction, that is my real area of expertise, I have spent the past fifty years trying to determine what happened to them," the Asari explained.

"How old are you exactly?" Shepard asked.

"I am ashamed to say I am only a hundred and six," Liara sighed.

"Damn, I hope I look that good when I'm your age," Ashley said.

"A hundred years can seem like a long time to a short lived species like yours, but by Asari standards I am merely a child, perhaps closer to your humans pre-adult phase, that is probably why my research has not been taken as seriously as I hoped."

"Ah the good old Asari ignorance, they act all wise and understanding but the truth is they're quite stuck up," Sky Lynx grinned.

Joker saw the smile across the transformer shuttle and quivered slightly. The very concept of a living ship felt unnatural and creepy to him. He was glad the Normandy wasn't alive; he probably couldn't cope with being watched by a robot.

"This isn't getting us any closer to the conduit, could the enemy have needed you for something else?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know, what with Saren being allied with an ancient transformer I doubt there's really anything I have to offer, perhaps my mother had something to do with this," Liara lowered her head slightly, thinking of her estranged mother.

"Is there anything else, anything else you can tell us that might help?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes, the Protheans were not the first species to suddenly disappear, in fact the very structure of the galaxy is different from when the Protheans were here," Liara stated.

"What do you mean the structure of the galaxy is different?" Tali asked.

"During my travels I found small caches of star maps, they showed maps of solar systems, structures of planets yet no one map was the same as the other, they contradicted each other, they were even contradictions of current Citadel records. During each cycle, entire planets were disappearing," Liara paused and noticed the confused expressions of the people around her, even Optimus and Jetfire seemed confused. "Allow me to elaborate, you believe that our technology was inherited by the Protheans yes?"

"My people found a Prothean facility on mars, it was filled to the brim with information we're still sorting through," Shepard said.

"Well like your people and mine the Prothean's advancement came from the society that came before them. They did not create the mass relays, they simply found them and information left by those who came before them allowed them to advance into an empire capable of opposing the Cybertronians," Liara explained, turning to the holograms of Jetfire and Optimus. "I found small, nearly benign evidence of cultures that had existed before the Protheans, the galaxy has been built, broken down and then built up again on a cycle of genocide, and evidence has been wiped away!"

"So that the existence of the Reapers seems impossible to some, people talking about the discoveries come off as mad," Shepard said.

"But if there is a shred of evidence isn't that reason enough to warrant caution?" Tali asked.

"Unfortunately some governments want to pretend that nothing is wrong," Garrus said.

"Until its too late, just like they did with the Rachni," Wrex huffed.

"I read about this, the Rachni seemed more like a developing species that some universal evil that needed to be wiped out, the same with your species. Wiping you both out completely was…your society is no better than the Reapers," Jetfire narrowed his eyes at Garrus and Liara, and in particular Tali.

Tali stiffened in her chair, uncomfortable with the machine's glare. Optimus however gave Jetfire a look that was enough to make the defector back off. The Autobot leader turned to the Normandy crew and lowered his head.

"We need to be better than that, I don't know what the reapers are but I don't think they are a sentient species…to repeat a cycle of genocide for billions of years, no living creature is evil enough to do that," he explained and then focused his attention on Liara. "There is much we can speak of but for now we should focus on matters of relevance, you said that planets were disappearing, the Reapers must be truly devastating to be able to destroy a planet," he sighed.

"Perhaps it was the Reapers, there would be no witness accounts for the destruction of a planet," Liara said.

"Were those transformers that attacked us connected to the reapers?" Shepard asked.

"Ah doubt it," Ironhide said as he entered the bridge.

"How are the others old friend?" Optimus asked.

"A little shaken up, the G1 was their home or as close as they could get to a home. Blaster isn't doing too well either," Ironhide patted Optimus's shoulder as his commander lowered his head.

"I'm sorry about Blaster Optimus, I know what its like to lose men," Shepard said.

"Don't count Blaster out just yet," Arcee said as she walked onto the bridge. "I've got an update on his condition from Ratchet, he'll continue to keep Blaster in stasis until we have the parts we need to repair him," she explained.

"I am truly sorry for what happened to your crew member Optimus," Liara said.

Her head swayed as she rubbed her brow slightly.

"Are you okay?" Shepard asked.

"Its nothing serious, just mental exhaustion, coupled with the shock of discovering the Prothean's true fate," Liara said.

"When was the last time you ate? Or slept?" Kaidan asked, leaning forward on his chair. "Doctor Chakwas should take a look at you," Shepard nodded at the Lieutenant's suggestion.

"Go see the doctor, there's a storage room at the back you can use as your quarters," Shepard explained.

"She's staying on the ship?" Ashley asked.

"I think at this point the Normandy is the safest place for her, her knowledge of the Protheans might come in handy," Garrus said.

"Plus her biotics for when the fighting starts," Wrex added.

"All right, all of you are dismissed, get some rest," Shepard ordered.

She took note of the young Asari's skin pigmentation. It had a subtle lighter tone to it, probably the equivalent of pale, sickly skin. When the last squad mate stepped out Shepard established a link with the Citadel. A holographic image appeared of Nihlus in his hospital bed, followed by each member of the council.

"Shepard, are these reports accurate?" Valern asked.

'Are you going to question whether every report I make is accurate?' Shepard felt like asking, she thought that when one was dealing with transforming sentient robots all sense of the impossible would be thrown to the wind.

"I believe I can speak for the accuracy of the reports," Sky Lynx said.

"Another one?" Sparatus nearly dropped his jaw in shock. "So you have already bought your war to our galaxy Optimus Pax!"

"Councillor, I believe if this Megatron is as fierce as he has been portrayed then we would have become involved in the Cybertronian war regardless of anything Optimus had done," Nihlus explained.

"What about Dr T'Soni?" Valern asked.

"She transferred to our ship shortly before Sky Lynx picked up team Prime," Shepard said.

"We are not team Prime," Optimus said.

"Are the necessary security measures being taken?" Sparatus asked.

"She genuinely wants to help, she didn't know anything about what Benezia was doing," Shepard said.

"Benezia would never allow Saren to harm her daughter," Tevos said.

"Perhaps she didn't know, or perhaps we don't know her, we never believed she was capable of being a traitor. In your report Shepard you mentioned that three Autobots were also part of the Decepticon forces," Valern's statement caused Optimus to look at Shepard.

"Yes, though they are Autobot traitors I believe the leader of them Rodimus Prime is more of a threat than Starscream," Shepard said.

"Its best not to underestimate any of the Decepticons, did T'Soni bear any light on why she was being targeted?" Nihlus asked.

"I'll send a full report to you," Shepard said.

Nihlus nodded his head and cut the line. Optimus looked at Shepard and sighed.

"We couldn't have kept it hidden forever Optimus, better they know now than when the Decepticons attack a colony with soldiers bearing the Autobot symbol," Shepard explained.

"I know, where will we go now Shepard?" Optimus asked.

"Feros, the colony is under attack by the Geth."

"We'll be entering a war zone then," Jetfire said.

"There's the thing, the attacks seem to be focused on a small area of the colony, nearest the Exogeni building," Shepard explained.

"Wait a moment…ah yes, Exogeni, a company that primarily focuses on genetics research," Jetfire looked up the galactic wide company and established his Extranet connection.

"We'll meet you there Shepard," Optimus nodded to the commander before cutting the feed.

Shepard walked onto the bridge to find Pressly standing by his workstation. Except he wasn't working, just looking at her with his arms crossed. She walked across the bridge and noted the uneasy expressions of the crewmembers. Putting herself in their shoes, Shepard imagined how stressful it must be for them. They were fighting against a larger force, with an uncertain ally (uncertain to them at least and not Shepard) and an uncooperative council and alliance. It reaffirmed Shepard's hatred of politics. But imagining what the crew was feeling and knowing was a different story altogether. So she walked up to the cockpit and decided to ask the pilot for his opinion and then work her way down.

"I prefer gold over silver," Joker said as she approached. "I'd figured you'd recommend me since I out flew a flying train and all," he smiled.

"If you got a medal you'd have to sit around on stage listening to politicians make speeches, fun, fun," Shepard grinned.

"Good point, they'd probably make me shave too, I spent a whole week trying to get this bad boy, no medal's worth that," Joker explained.

"I'm just trying to get a sense of where the crews at Joker, you've been talking to the Autobots, what do you think about them?" Shepard asked.

"Well about those new ones, they seemed pretty eager to choose our side, might want to have a chat with them about their motivations. As for the others, Jazz is the coolest and I'm really hoping Blaster doesn't hit the scrap heap, Cliff Jumper really seems to live up to his name, Arcee reminds me of Ash in some ways, and of Kaidan in others. Bumblebee's cool in that little brother kind of way, don't know Ironhide that much and Ratchet seems like Doctor Chakwas without the bedside manner. Optimus however, he seems like the kind of guy that makes sense when he talks, as in you can agree with him 90 percent of the time, but I suppose its easy for him."

"How so?"

"You saw how strong he was out there, he can protect himself when he's standing by his ideals true, but everybody else…they lost their ship, Blaster is wounded and the others wouldn't have made it if not for Sky Lynx," Joker explained.

"I see your point, but he does strike me as a very capable leader, his men wouldn't have followed him if they thought he was unworthy of command," Shepard said, looking out of the side of cockpit at Sky Lynx.

"Yeah I guess so, still it makes you wonder doesn't it?" Joker asked.

"Wonder what?"

"If Optimus fights that well and he was a records clerk, how good are their real soldiers?"

The question made Shepard think, not only about the full might of the Autobot army but Optimus himself. Special forces soldiers often had false cover stories, their records were even wiped clean to better allow them to fight against terrorist cells without endangering their loved ones. Shepard didn't know whether it similarly applied to the transformers but something was definitely off with Optimus's story of being a record's clerk. He was also hesitant to be a leader, even though he had proven himself quite adept at it. Optimus stood on the bridge of the Autobot's new home, looking at the Normandy as it flew across space.

"Ratchet," he called the medic to his side.

"What is it captain?" Ratchet asked.

"Once we get to Feros, I want you to provide medical support for the wounded at Zhu's Hope, the rest of us will join Shepard in investigating Exogeni," Optimus said.

"What about Blaster?" Arcee asked.

"Red Alert and Sky Lynx can protect Blaster, there is also the Normandy crew."

"You really believe they'll be willing to watch over Blaster, you believe they'll even try to save him if something happens?" Arcee looked at her leader sceptically.

"I believe we need to trust our allies, just as they have chosen to trust us," Optimus said as he turned to Jetfire. "I want you to scout out the Geth forces, find out just how large a force is attacking the colony," he explained.

Jetfire nodded his head and turned towards the doorway. The former seeker stopped however and thought of what he had learnt during his service to Rodimus and Megatron. He realised that it was too late to give Optimus the data, they were already approaching the planet. Sky Lynx began entry into the atmosphere alongside the Normandy. Bumblebee and the others stepped onto the bridge and looked upon the battlefield the colony had become. Whatever it had been before was gone, the roads of the highways had been broken apart and a Geth ship had imbedded itself in the side of Exo-Geni's main facility.

"Optimus, I have information that could use a good decoder," he said.

"Give it to me and I'll see what I can do, but our focus should be on saving the colonists on Feros, we shall protect the colony as Shepard investigates Exo-geni," Optimus explained.

"Oh, I wanted to check out the big building," Sky Lynx said.

"Not even I would fit in there Sky Lynx," Bumblebee said.

"Sir, that information may shed some light on Rodimus's plans, as well as Longarm's corrupt activities, my hope is that it might explain your black outs as well," Jetfire explained.

"Maybe you should stay with the Normandy then Prahm, as their guest/hostage/ protector," Ironhide said.

"I'd be no good in a fight considering the tight space of their space port and it'll take more than the Minicons to protect Blaster if he is attacked," Sky Lynx explained.

"Allow me to take temporary command of team Prahm, finding out what Rodimus's plans are is a priority over you being a good leader," the weapons expert continued. "We all know you can fight beside us Prahm, but this is an occasion when you shouldn't," he patted Optimus on the shoulder and smiled.

"Yeah boss, you don't need to prove anything to us, we all know that we can rely on you in a fight," Bumblebee said.

"But this is an occasion where it calls for leading at the back."

"The correct term is delegating Cliff," Jazz said.

Optimus looked at the data packet Jetfire had given to him. He thought of how much the black outs made him a liability in combat. Jetfire claimed that the date would shed light on his condition, but that was second to finding out the plans of Rodimus.

"Don't call me Prime, I am incapable of being a Prime," Optimus said. "You are right Ironhide, this information can not, nor should wait, I will go to the Normandy and work with their tech experts, the rest of you help protect the colony," he explained.

The Autobots nodded their heads and transformed, beginning their drive to Sky Lynx's exit hatch. Ratchet remained behind despite Optimus's orders, continuing to work the machines that repaired Blaster. He lowered his head as Optimus walked up behind him.

"Optimus, don't worry about the Normandy, keep Blaster safe, if you really want to know about your black outs then make sure Blaster doesn't die. These humans are nothing when it comes to one of our own," he explained.

"That is what Rodimus and Megatron say about our lives to the restoration of our world," Optimus said, gripping Ratchet's shoulder. "We have fought with these humans Ratchet, they are our own," he placed his hand on Blaster's chest plate, feeling the warmth of the wounded Autobot's spark.

"Organics will never be our people Optimus, to even think so is naïve," Ratchet said.

"If we keep thinking like this, us or them then the galaxy will never change," Optimus walked towards the monitor that displayed Blaster's energon readings.

The communications officer was still holding onto life. Ratchet had made the necessary adjustments to ensure that he stayed that way. With Energon slowly being pumped into his body, like a morphine drip on a human, Blaster would hold on just long enough for Ratchet to figure out a way to save his life. Sky Lynx began the docking sequence, whilst the Normandy took a port with a platform beside it, Sky Lynx docked a floor underneath the ship. He opened his belly hatch and let the Autobots out into the colony.

"Commander, we'll meet you at the colony," Ironhide said.

"What's the plan Ironhide?" Shepard asked.

"Prime will stay at the space port, we will assist you in protecting Zhu's hope."

"The help is much appreciated, try to avoid transforming to your robot modes until we get there," Shepard said.

"Roger that, team Prahm out!"

Shepard placed the final piece of her armour on and checked over her rifle. Garrus, Wrex and Kaidan were also armouring up and preparing their weapons for a ground mission.

"You're leaving us behind?" Tali asked.

"Optimus is coming over, he has a information packet that needs decrypting, not only is this a chance for you to get to know him better but also Cybertronian technology. Your pilgrimage is about gaining tech right?" Shepard asked.

"Yes Shepard, but bringing them on board, the little one I can agree with but not their leader, he was a monster on the battlefield," Tali said.

"Okay firstly they have names, Bumblebee and Optimus, remember those names, because forgetting is the only excuse you'll get for not calling them that. Secondly we should be working together, not behind one another's backs, Optimus has made it quite clear that he's willing to work with us, he was the first to volunteer to help, if he wanted us destroyed he would have done it by now," Shepard explained.

"Commander Shepard, I think this is an unacceptable risk," Tali said.

"If you're going to go on away missions with your migrant fleet marines then you'll have to learn to follow orders Tali. But if you don't feel safe take this," Shepard removed a grenade from her belt and shoved it into Tali's hand. "If he shows aggression and only if he shows aggression Tali then…go for the eyes," she said.

"You mean the optics commander?"

"Whatever," Shepard huffed as she walked towards the elevator.

"Weren't you a little harsh with her commander?" Ashley asked.

The marine was standing by the elevator in a straight pose, clearly waiting to speak with Shepard.

"What did you have on your mind Ash?" she asked.

"Ma'am I've been thinking about the alien members of the crew, Garrus, Liara and the transformers, I don't think that they should be allowed the access you've been giving them," Ashley explained.

"I see, have they been unreliable?"

"No, its just they aren't alliance personnel, and the transformers haven't completely proven themselves just yet, I don't think they should be given access to vital systems, communications, engines, even weapons."

"This isn't really an alliance mission Ashley," Shepard sighed.

"Maybe not, but it was a human colony that was attacked," Ashley said.

"So we should mistreat our allies, regard them with suspicion?" Shepard asked.

"The council races are hardly our allies ma'am, and I don't mean mistreat them. We, that is humanity I mean must learn to stand on our own, we cant rely on Garrus's sharp shooting or the power of the transformers, we have to learn to look after ourselves and fight our own battles," Ashley explained.

"No offence but you sound like one of those Terra Firma pamphlets," Shepard said.

She remember being approached by an off shot of Terra Firma when she was living on the streets. They offered her food and money for jobs that involved violence against aliens, extortion and protection rackets had been common where Shepard grew up, especially against aliens living on Earth. Much to her shame Shepard took one job that involved threatening a Volus accountant for his credits. She did so and put the scare on him and he quickly gave her the credits. That should have been it in Shepard's eyes, but her partners, the ones who recruited her took it further. She had to patch up the poor man's suit and ended up calling an ambulance before running.

The next day Shepard went to her employers wearing a makeshift white robe and hood she made from bed sheets. When they asked her why she was dressed like that she said that if she was to be part of a band of racist thugs then she might as well have looked the part. The reference was of course lost on them, Shepard had expected at least one person to get it regardless of the colour of their skin. Even though she had their upbringing she still knew history, and human history was filled with moments were people of a particular race and religion were discriminated against. Ashley on the other hand didn't strike Shepard as someone who hated aliens; she was just a bit ignorant as Tali was in regards to the transformers.

"The original founders had ideals, now they're just a bunch of Xenophobes," her words said as much, but Shepard still wasn't convinced.

"And what are you chief?" Shepard asked.

"A realist commander, if the council and the transformers are cornered then they're protect their own interests, their own worlds. Listen if you're fighting a bear and the only way to survive is to sick your dog on it and run then you'll do it, no matter how much you love your dog it isn't human, people will always side with their own species," Ashley explained.

Shepard put a hand to her chin and thought about Ashley's metaphor.

"Hey Tali, come over here for a few minutes," she said, smiling as Ashley looked at her in confusion.

The Quarian walked towards the two women, nervously rubbing her wrists.

"Ashley compared you to a dog," the said woman's eyes widened at Shepard's remark.

"What's a dog?" Tali asked innocently.

"It's not a compliment, the whole conversation stemmed from my treatment of you actually, she went from defending you to insulting you. She asked me if I was a little hard on you, by the way Ashley the answer is no, I wasn't too hard on her. One could say she's afraid of the transformers, I don't think she is. When you're afraid of something you either run from it, which Tali hasn't done, or you face it, you try to understand it. Dismissing it on the other hand, not understanding it, not even trying to understand it is a form of prejudice, you have judged something or someone before even knowing them."

"You know before I joined the alliance I was part of a gang Ashley, apparently I have a biography, read it once after Akuze and it was surprisingly accurate, up until the point where it stopped being accurate and just painted a pretty picture. Some things were omitted and one of those things was how I left the reds, there was of course a reason I left, I didn't join the alliance on a whim but that is a different story. This story started with a Turian, a Turian who was conducting business on Earth. He was rich, he had a family, even bought his children with him to the city. The Turian apparently had a collection of art, or was it pottery? I don't quite remember that part, the man was rich and our boss wanted to organise a raid on his house, I was to lead it. I went through with the initial plan, then converted to my plan, I led them to a point in the Turian's yard I had organised for the police and they arrested my fellows, and as I agreed with the police I was let go," Shepard smiled proudly.

"You betrayed your gang, I never heard that," Ashley said.

"It was because of the Turian and his children, you knew it would get violent with them," Tali said.

"A safe assumption but you're wrong, back then I was through a phase in my life when I didn't care who lived or who died. I betrayed them because the Turian found out about the raid, instead of running he offered me ten grand to sell my gang out and I did it without question. So you see Ash, people don't choose their own species, the truth is people aren't naturally loyal. As for prejudice Tali, I don't tolerate it, especially when we…when every space faring species in the galaxy has come so far. If I am wrong in my judge of your character however Tali and you truly are afraid then don't be afraid, I know vipers waiting for the right moment to strike, because once a long time ago I was a viper. Now you are both going to work with one another and the transformers, and that's a damn order," Shepard explained.

The Normandy's cargo hatch suddenly opened and Optimus drove into the ship. He transformed to his robot form and looked down at Shepard, Tali and Ashley.

"Optimus, you're going to be working with Tali and Liara on this," Shepard said.

"No problem," Optimus said.

"You see Tali, that is understanding, from a species that should have every reason to pause at working with a Quarian," Shepard smirked before walking to the elevator.

"Shepard before you go there's something I should tell you, the man I passed wasn't shocked about my presence, he had very little reaction to me," Optimus explained.

"Really? I would have thought a giant red and blue robot would warrant some shock," Shepard said.

"Shepard, Optimus, Jazz here, we've just showed up at Zhu's hope, we've parked at the heart of the colony and Optimus is right, very few people are shocked, it cant all be battlefield trauma, you'd better get down here and investigate," the old racer explained.

Shepard nodded her head and stepped into the elevator with her teammates. Optimus turned and looked down at Ashley and Tali.

"Is there a space we can work?" he asked.

"Let me get T'Soni," Ashley sighed as she walked away.

Optimus stood with Tali with an awkward air around them. Tali in particular felt nervous and awkward as she put the grenade Shepard had given her into her pouch. She then looked up at Optimus and saw that the transformer was still looking at her. He tilted his head slightly and bent down, looking more closely at the young Quarian. She put her hand to her pocket and yelped slightly as he spoke.

"Do you realise Iridium plates would reinforce your suit without restricting your movements?"

Deep underneath the colony, two great forgotten beings dwelled in the darkness. One had fallen victim to experimentation from the human corporation that discovered it, then was betrayed by Saren and his Geth. But it was no surprise, it had been abused its whole life. The one to first abuse it, the one to trap it creeped through the darkness of their home in the twisted technorganic form of a spider. The spider lowered himself to the floor and shifted, his eight legs folded behind his back as parts of his body slid open, talons stretched out of his chest, along with a pair of bladed feet and another head, his original spider head turned into a chest plate. He moved through the darkness as his prisoner let out a disgusting excuse for a roar.

"Oh don't complain so much, we all got something out of the deal, they got the cipher and I got a chance to see the greatest of all Cybertronians, a patriarch of their face. Besides it isn't as if you could actually go anywhere now, unless you capture one of the humans coming to kill you, because really that's the only way this is going to end, as for me I have everything I need, once I join the Fallen one his masters will give me everything I need to complete project Insecticon, but for now I suppose I'll have to settle for using the prototypes I designed," the creature cackled as he looked at three pods.

Again his prisoner roared, causing the room to shake. The scientist stepped out of the shadows, revealing his complete form. He possessed the transforming physiology of a Cybertronian, but was based on a mixture of the organic and technological. His head was grey and his mouth resembled a spiders, along with his four eyes. The armour on his chest was organic, a light purple colour and his clawed hands were yellow whilst the organic armour on his feet were brown.

"Their capabilities in battle will be tested this day, on those weakling humans, and just like the Protheans they will learn that the true future of the galaxy lies in synthesis," the monster cackled as the room shook. "When that synthesis is complete, all will know and worship the name TARANTULAS!"

Next Chapter 12: Stupid organic

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><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, Tarantulas is going to be playing a major role in the sequal to this story, there is also more to his past than it seems, for one he's not Cybertronian, I wont go into too much detail.<p>

VA: Alec Willows, who better to voice Tarantulas than the man who provided his voice in Beast Wars, his signature cackles and screams will be present.

Next time Shepard and her team investigate Exo-Geni, whilst the Autobots protect Zhu's hope and Optimus works with Liara and Tali to decode the information Jetfire recovered.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

This chapter introduces Tarantulas and diverges from some of the canon of Mass Effect, we also had another faction to complicate things.

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><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 12: Stupid organic

Shepard walked cautiously through the corridors leading towards Zhu's Hope. Her squad had already been ambushed by a type of nimble Geth platform that jumped between walls, Tali called them Sappers. Kaidan however used his biotics to float the platforms off of the walls, making them easy pickings for Wrex and his shotgun. Garrus on the other hand didn't need biotics to increase the accuracy of his shoots. With expert timing he had shot two Sappers as they jumped, all with a single shot from his mantis. Shepard knew she had chosen her team well. Her confidence in the mission itself however wasn't her best, for upon arriving at Zhu's hope her suspicions began with the state of the colonists. Ironhide and team Prime had parked themselves alongside one of the numerous prefabs set up in the colony. Their presence didn't seem to bother any of the colonists, whom only paid mild attention to them. They seemed to be focused on their tasks, restoring power, securing water, hunting for food and anything needed to keep the colony going. The number of wounded seemed to be minimal and the guns they had were just as low. The Geth presence however was not what Shepard had expected, she had expected them to be storming the heart of the colony but they weren't.

"Fai Dan," Shepard called out for the colony's supposed leader.

A short haired man walked out of one of the prefabs, his eyes were tired but they had the same emptiness the other colonists had. A young woman in a security uniform followed him, holding a rifle at the ready.

"You're a little late aren't you?" she asked, there was the hint of hatred within her tone, but like the others she seemed tired somehow.

It wasn't physical exhaustion from the attacks, Shepard recognised that it was annoyance. Despite the Alliance portraying itself as the protectors of human colonies, they had failed those colonies multiple times. It had formed a cycle of sorts, a colony is attacked and the representatives of the Alliance would blame the council for being too lenient with the Terminus systems, the home of these slavers and pirates. Mindoir had been one such place, Batarian slavers attacked the colony, killing many and enslaving even more. The Alliance hadn't made it in time and the survivors of Mindoir blamed them for it. Likewise it seemed that the colonists of Feros too felt abandoned.

"Arcelia please, we've all been through a lot," Fai Dan said.

"I can only offer condolences and the promise that we'll protect you the best we can, how often have the Geth been attacking?" Shepard asked.

"Every time we think we've caught our breath another attack comes through, the attacks seem to originate from the caverns, I think they may have formed some kind of camp. But the Geth aren't alone, they have Krogan mercenaries backing them up and the local Verren wildlife has gone berserk, we lost two hunting parties already," Arcelia explained.

"Can I ask a question?" Cliff Jumper asked.

The red car transformed, raising his hands to calm the colonists, though some looked as if they didn't need calming.

"Yeah I know I'm a giant robot but listen, we got here with very minimal aerial resistance, they all seem to be focused on that big building, what about instead of defending this mud hole you bunker down at the port, repair shuttles and get your people off of the colony?" he asked.

Shepard put a hand to her face, more so over Cliff's jump first policy. She didn't find his question at all unreasonable though. There were still shuttles at the port that could have been repaired; evacuation wasn't out of the question either. It gave her the ideas for a new plan.

"We have a ship big enough to get your people out of here, and aerial support of our own that can cover your escape, your chances of survival will be much better if you just leave the colony," Shepard explained.

"Leave the colony?" Fai Dan and Arcelia asked in synch.

The question seemed to linger in their minds for a moment before they hysterically shook their heads.

"No, we can't leave," Arcelia said.

"But why stay when you can…"

"NO!" Fai Dan yelled, shocking Cliff Jumper and the rest of the team. "I mean, no, my people are too scared, we heard about what happened at Eden Prime, how these new beings saved everyone there but…we're not ready to trust our lives on that, please Commander this is our home," he explained.

Ratchet and the other Autobots transformed, he and Ironhide stood taller than the housing units.

"Failing your cooperation I can always just knock every single one of you out with a nerve agent and drag you back to Sky Lynx," the medic suggested.

"Put a cog in it Ratchet, we ain't here to traumatise them like that," Ironhide said.

"Like they aren't already traumatised," Arcee muttered.

"I understand Fai Dan, we wont force your people to do anything they don't want. Lets get going then, the Autobots will protect you whilst we find out what is happening at the ExoGeni building," Shepard explained.

"Do you trust them to keep the colonists safe commander?" Kaidan asked.

"I trust them more than the colonists, Fai Dan seemed pretty adamant in staying didn't he?"

Cliff Jumper overheard their conversation and narrowed his eyes slightly. He too became suspicious of Fai Dan and Arcelia's unusual outburst. Whilst the other Autobots gathered to follow Ironhide's orders, he drifted away from them and turned on his cloaking device.

"Ratchet, you stay with the civilians and see if you can help them get their essentials back online, Arcee, Bumblebee you two scout out these caverns and see if you can hit the Geth at their heart, Jazz, Cliff Jumper and I will form a defensive perimeter and push the Geth forces back, if you hit the right point we'll be able to catch the remaining Geth in a pincer attack," Ironhide explained.

"One problem with that hide, Cliff Jumper isn't here," Jazz said.

Ironhide's metallic brow furrowed as he squeezed his hands into fists.

"CLIFF JUMPER!"

* * *

><p>Tali nervously gripped the grenade Shepard had given her. Whilst Liara seemed eager to begin her study of the data Optimus and Jetfire had gathered, Tali was anything but eager. Likewise Ashley seemed to be almost protective of her fellow organics, watching the trio and cautiously keeping an armour-piercing shotgun handy. Optimus knelt down and lowered his arm so that Liara could see the data display on his gauntlet.<p>

"Intriguing, it's almost like an Omni-tool," Liara said.

She ran her hands across the display, pushing buttons and bringing up videos of Optimus's team Energon mining or exploring. Tali took a few steps closer as Liara began transferring date to her own Omni-tool.

"These data packets on the Protheans will really help my research Optimus, thank you," she said.

"You're a quick study Dr T'Soni, but the specific files we're looking at are coded to Cybertronian which is complicated for organics to understand, however I believe your decryption methods will prove vital, link your Omni-tools to my gauntlet," he explained.

Tali and Liara bought began tapping buttons on their tools. The movements of their hands and the chimes of the tools were like foreign languages to Ashley. Holographic displays of data appeared in their hands, the complicated streams of code became more comprehensible with every movement of their hands.

"Its done, the data has been decrypted," Tali said, she almost sounded excited, reminding Ashley of her younger sister Sarah.

"Now for translating it, download it to me," Optimus said.

Liara was the first to download it, but Tali waited a little bit more to release her findings. She nodded to Optimus as the data streamed from her tool to his gauntlet. He deactivated the display and put his fingers to the side of his head. The action triggered a hologram projector built into his helmet. A hologram of a small, almost human sized Autobot appeared.

"**My name is Sari, I am a data analyst and communications officer onboard the A1, under the command of Longarm Prime…excuse me, Longarm Major. If you are listening to this, know that I am already off line, my spark has faded, but my will is strong enough to send one last message, to deliver this data I downloaded from Longarm. Hopefully someone will have decrypted the date, will have found out the truth…that Megatron was right, our leading council was every bit as corrupt as he said, and that Longarm, Rodimus and perhaps even Sentinel were in no way worthy of the Prime title…I'm relaying this data with the hope that you can bring this truth to light…Primus, I can feel my consciousness…fading," **the little Autobot put her hands to her chest as her form faded.

Tali and Liara gasped, the light of Sari's spark fading reminded them of all the stories they had been told when they were younger, stories of the soul and the afterlife. Optimus lowered his head and sighed in regret. The brave Autobot had sacrificed her life to gain answers and her will had transcended the all spark to get that information to him. Knowing he couldn't waste her life, he began downloading the decrypted information.

* * *

><p>Tarantulas heard the battle going on above his den. He cackled, as the Thorian roared, like a cry for help. The scientist jumped off of his web and assumed his purple spider form. He crawled across the floor, towards a pod attached to the wall. Again transforming, he ran his talons across the surface of the pod, as if he was caressing a lover.<p>

"Fair trades were made Thorian, you got a protector and Saren got information, once again fair trades were made with ExoGeni, a home and servants in exchange for information. I however desire something much greater than mere information, synthesis Thorian," Tarantulas frowned as the Thorian growled. "Is survival not preferable to destruction? I offer protection, the destruction of your enemies and unity, you and I can leave this planet, spread the integration of Cybertronian and Reaper tech into organic flesh, we can ascend to godhood," he explained.

The Thorian grew silent, as if it was actually contemplating accepting what Tarantulas offered.

"Unity is the key to survival, the key to peace, Shiala was given to you fairly so why not make use of her, make her and her clones stronger than even the Cybertronians, I will pass this to even the colonists…let them ascend Thorian and nothing will stop us," Tarantulas explained.

His mandibles clicked as the Thorian hummed. He transformed to his spider form and crawled across the pod, beginning to spread webbing across its surface. The webbing glowed a green colour and the woman within the pod began to write in pain. Tarantulas cackled, seeing the pain as necessary yet in no way sympathising with her agony, rather he enjoyed it.

* * *

><p>"Cogging Cliff Jumper," Ironhide snarled as he fired energy blasts into the Geth coming out of the caverns.<p>

He and Jazz lined up, taking shots at the enemy forces, alongside their reluctant allies. Ratchet surveyed the wounded colonists; healing their wounds and then sending them back to fight. His role at that moment was to keep people fighting; he had already worked out a method of solving the colony's energy problem and had relayed orders to Bumblebee and Arcee to find the mains in their search for the Geth camp. The scout and soldier climbed along the caverns, blasting Geth or throwing them into the deep chasm below. They jumped between walls, using their fingers to dig into the gravel and climb. Arcee pulled a weapon off of her back and fired a remote controlled missile down one of the bridges. A holographic camera appeared over her eyes, showing her everything the rocket saw. She flew the missile past Krogans, over Primes and towards a communication relay the Geth had gathered around.

"BOOYAA!" Bumblebee yelled, hearing the explosion in the distance.

"Everyone seems to be focused on ExoGeni, that's where the brunt of the enemy's force will be," Arcee said.

She turned the rocket launcher into a blaster and shot down two rocket drones. Bumblebee fired his neutron assault rifle, taking out several Krogan mercenaries.

"Where is Cliff Jumper?" the scout asked.

"If he's deserting then we'll punish him," Arcee said.

"When are you going to lighten up, we've been through the pit together doesn't that guarantee us some trust?" Bumblebee asked.

"No it doesn't and if you're smart Bumblebee you wont trust anyone either, Ratchet and Optimus have secrets, Blaster was wounded right when he started looking into those secrets, that cant be a coincidence," Arcee explained.

"You can't seriously be suggesting that Optimus or Ratchet would do anything to harm any of us, they're our family," Bumblebee said.

"You are too naïve, you were always too reliant on faith and dreams," Arcee huffed as she turned away.

"There's nothing wrong with having dreams or putting faith in something, it may not be logical but its…what in the pit is wrong with that organic?"

Arcee turned in the direction Bumblebee pointed. A human man was lying on the floor, writhing in agony. He appeared to have no wounds though and muttered incoherent things.

"Just incurring the masters wrath…lets me know that I'm alive, GUAAAGH! That was a good one," he said.

"Stupid organic," Arcee said.

"No Arcee I think there might be something wrong with him, let me carry out a quick scan," the scout tapped his gauntlet, running a harmless laser over the man's body.

"I see you found what I did," Ratchet said over the radio.

"Ratchet, how long have you been listening in?" Bumblebee asked.

"Focus on the scan Bumblebee and tell me what you see."

Bumblebee and Arcee widened their eyes, seeing a diagram of the man's body. There was some kind of growth within his brain; something that the Autobots knew wasn't supposed to be within the average human.

"As I suspected," Ratchet took their gasps as a sign that he had been right.

His drone had scanned the colonists he had been treating and found the very same growths inside their brains. The second wave of attacking Geth were shocked to find Zhu's hope covered in gas. Ironhide and Jazz suddenly jumped out of the gas, their guns blazing as they shot one Geth after another. Jazz grabbed a Geth Prime with his grappling hook and used it as a morning star to crush troopers on the ground and sappers on the walls. Ratchet meanwhile moved the unconscious forms of the colonists into a nearby housing unit. He pulled out his rifle and looked towards the remains of the Prothean ship the colonists had used as their 'town hall' of sorts.

"The colonists will be safe now Shepard," he said over the radio.

Shepard drove the Mako across the skyway, smirking at the ingenuity of the Autobots. Ratchet had shared her suspicions, but rather than share his thoughts he acted anyway. He had knocked the colonists unconscious, perhaps as part of his code as a doctor or because he knew Optimus wouldn't have approved of killing them. Either way Shepard's admiration of the Autobots and their integrity only got better.

"I'm picking up a signal on the radio Shepard," Garrus said.

"**Get away from there!" **they heard a sharp voice snarl.

"**They might still be out there Jeong, I'm not giving up on her," **they then heard the voice of a woman.

"Survivors from ExoGeni," Kaidan said.

"Lets go and find out exactly what Exo-Geni has been doing with the colonists," Shepard put a hand to her gun, a sign she wasn't willing to play nice with the corporate sleazebags.

"KEEP YOUR HANDS ON THE WHEEL SHEPARD!" Wrex yelled as the Mako drifted slightly.

* * *

><p>Cliff Jumper found himself doing something he wasn't very used to, climbing. He had driven to the bottom of the ExoGeni tower, forgoing the Prothean skyways for the desert below. Upon reaching the bottom of the tower he was disappointed to find there was no front entrance. Every entrance to the tower was connected to the roads the Protheans had left behind. Cliff Jumper wasn't by his nature a curious bot, he didn't care about Prothean history, only the present. He knew the people of the galaxy, or rather the politicians were hiding something. ExoGeni was no different than the Cybertronian council. Cliff Jumper shared the Decepticon belief that the council had been holding their society back with their focus on roles and purpose, but he didn't share the belief that the strongest should rule. He didn't approve of the war, but he knew he had to pick a side. The Autobots were the best option for him because he liked the bots he met there.<p>

"What were you investigating before Blaster?" Cliff Jumper wondered, thinking about his wounded friend.

Bumblebee was too trusting, it was what Cliff Jumper liked about him and Arcee was too focused on military discipline. He couldn't count on her to bring the truth to light if it painted a bad picture for the people they answered to. Arcee followed Optimus's orders, but in the grand scheme of things Cliff believed that she would jump without hesitation if Ultra Magnus or Cerebros gave the commands. Cliff Jumper had faith that Optimus was willing to do the right thing for now, but he couldn't put absolute faith that it would always stay that way.

"What are you doing Cliff Jumper?"

"Climbing up this toWAAGH DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!" Cliff yelled as the aerial bot behind him.

Jetfire hovered around Cliff Jumper, letting out a sigh as he rose with every step Cliff climbed.

"You don't trust our human allies?" Jetfire asked.

"Shepard's all right, but she's a soldier, and spectre agent, they answer to the council and she also answers to her alliance, I don't think she'd betray them if whatever secrets this building hid painted a bad picture," Cliff Jumper explained.

"I admit the whole picture doesn't seem right, Saren comes to this place, gets whatever information he wants from the corporation and leaves, yet continues to attack the colony, what is here that he could fear?"

"Exactly, that's what I'm trying to find out," Cliff Jumper said.

He smashed his fist into the wall, tearing away pieces to make an entrance for himself. The red bot jumped smoothly into the building, analysing his surroundings before he moved forward.

"Blaster was a radio show host, he believed in the truth, nothing omitted to create a version that people would like but the absolute truth, he believed with his spark that no matter how bad the truth was people needed to know it, whether it was how desperate a situation was or how disgraceful their leaders are," Cliff Jumper explained.

"Blaster is still online Cliff Jumper, there's still hope that he can pull through," Jetfire said.

"I know, its just, if the worst happens I want to know that I was true to his morals, he was trying to find out the same secrets you've given the boss bot, I want to bring all of the secrets these governments are hiding to light."

"I admire your determination but you should know that sometimes secrets are kept for a reason," Jetfire said.

"Yeah, so people like the Shadow Broker can profit off of fear and curiosity, I'm not going to go on a truth seeking rampage, don't worry, its just the secrets that have harmed people I'm interested in," Cliff Jumper explained.

"I see, well be careful."

Jetfire swerved around the building and fired several missiles at the Geth ship latched to the side of the building. From the Prothean skyway, Shepard and her team watched as the former Decepticon transformed in midair. He pulled a sword from his back and cleaved through the wires the Geth ship was using to attach itself to the building. The ship began its rapid descent towards the bottom of the tower, exploding as it impacted with the ground.

"Are communications back up? Everyone this is Cliff Jumper."

"Cliff Jumper, where in Prahmus have you been?" Ironhide asked as he blew aside several Geth.

Cliff Jumper smashed through the walls of the ExoGeni building, making his own path through the Geth base. He fired multiple bursts from his neutron assault rifle, tearing apart any Geth in his way.

"Bringing truth to light," Cliff Jumper said before he crashed through another wall.

This time he ended up in a hallway of some kind, reduced to ruins for Verren to hunt in. Cliff Jumper slammed his feet against the ground, roaring at the reptilian creatures.

"Yeah, not so tough now I see," he laughed.

He swung around, air boxing in a victory dance. Cliff Jumper suddenly stopped and looked down, seeing a brown haired woman in medical overalls.

"Wow, this is kind of awkward, don't tell anyone I do victory dances and I'll help you get out of here," he said, sheepishly chuckling as the woman raised her pistol.

* * *

><p>Shepard continued driving the Mako into the Exo-Geni garage. She drove over two Geth troopers, skidding to a halt near a Geth Colossus. Garrus fired a grenade from the turret, and then unleashed a barrage of rounds into the Geth's armour. Wrex opened the Mako's hatch and jumped onto the dirt. He fired slugs from his shotgun at the Sappers, whilst Garrus continued hitting the speedy platforms with the Mako's main gun. Shepard parked the Mako near the entrance to the ExoGeni shelter. She and the rest of her team jumped out of the tank and began shooting the remaining Geth. Kaidan lifted several Geth into the air and Shepard released her incineration tech, creating an explosion that scattered pieces of the Geth across the floor.<p>

"Lower your weapons, we're Alliance, we've come to help," Shepard said.

She began walking backwards, keeping her rifle aimed forward as she and her team walked down the ramp towards the shelter. ExoGeni security guards lowered their weapons upon seeing the red stripe on her shoulder. Shepard lowered her rifle and latched it onto her back before turning to the staff. Many looked nervous, the apparent leader however looked particularly nervous.

'Jeong I presume,' Shepard thought.

"Thank goodness you came, I don't think we would've lasted much longer," a brown haired woman in green medical overalls said.

"You're too trusting Juliana," Jeong said.

"I'm commander Shepard, I'm with the alliance navy, our allies are Autobots, you must have heard the news before the attack," Shepard explained.

"It was all whispers before hand, Zhu's Hope probably knows more, are they the ones responsible for all that noise earlier?" Juliana asked.

"Yep, that would be our resident flyer," Shepard smiled.

"Don't forget Cliff Jumper," Garrus said.

"My ears are burning, somebody say my name?" Cliff asked over the radio. "Okay seriously I don't know why you humans say that because its anatomically impossible for the temperature of a person's ears to change when someone speaks," he explained.

"Where are you Cliff Jumper?" Shepard asked.

"Right in the heart of ExoGeni, or at least their office, I've got someone here who can shed some light on the whole situation," Cliff Jumper explained.

"Hello? This is Lizbeth Baynham, I'm a survivor of the Thorian survey team," a girl spoke over the radio.

"Lizbeth," Juliana smiled in relief.

Jeong however backed away slightly, putting his hand to a gun on his hip. Shepard noticed the subtle movement and prepared sabotage tech on her Omni-tool. Cliff Jumper stood in the ExoGeni building with Lizbeth on his shoulder.

"Lizbeth and I have been having a good conversation, about how tired she is of ExoGeni and her boss Jeong," Cliff smirked.

"What's the Thorian?" Juliana asked.

"A life form we discovered buried within a temple, it produced spores with mind controlling capabilities, our hope was to control these spores to use on violent prisoners. But we began testing the spores on the colonists at Zhu's hope," Lizbeth explained.

"Oh slag, hey Shepard does Jeong look like he's ready to piss his pants?" Cliff Jumper asked.

"Yes he does," Shepard said, looking over at Jeong.

"Jeong, how could you?" Juliana asked.

"You don't understand the bigger picture Juliana, people demand progress yet no one cares when a few colonists die, hell they aren't even dead, they showed no sign of being affected by the spores until…"

"Until the Thorian had something to defend itself against, the Geth, like it or not you turned this place into a target," Shepard explained.

"That's just the start of it," Cliff Jumper said, his face growing serious.

Ironhide and the other Autobots stood side by side, looking over the Prothean ship in the centre of Zhu's hope.

"The Thorian lives underneath Zhu's hope, ExoGeni built a convenient entrance from what was left of that Prothean ship. They found something else other than the Thorian," Cliff Jumper explained.

"Technology, left behind by a scientist, technology I tried to analyse but Jeong had secured on a shuttle and sent away, it seemed very similar to Cliff Jumper here though," Lizbeth explained.

"You hear that my fellow Autobots? ExoGeni had got its hands on Cybertronian technology," Cliff Jumper said.

"Which means you knew about the Transformers before they arrived," Shepard said, walking up to Jeong and snatching his gun from his grip.

"At the time we thought it was just junk, then a month ago survey teams we sent to the Thorian started to disappear, a few days ago we then heard about Eden Prime and we saw blurred images of those things. Once we put them into focus we determined that they were the same tech we found in the Thorian's den, albeit much more advanced," Jeong explained.

"Where were you sending the tech?" Shepard asked.

"The location changed every month, our superiors told us to ignore the disappearances, and some people didn't share my faith in our employers."

"Go to hell Jeong, we came here to help people, using the colonists like that was an abomination," Lizbeth said. "I tried to stop it, but they said they would fire me…ExoGeni is powerful, and you hear some things," she explained.

"You don't have to be afraid Lizbeth, now that the good guys are here," Cliff Jumper said.

Ironhide pulled a shotgun off of his back and cocked it. Ratchet released a medical drone and had it use its arms to manipulate the controls of a nearby crane. He showed no care for the ship of his people's former enemy, slamming it against the floor. Jazz, Arcee and Bumblebee pulled their weapons out and looked into the stairway. Arcee activated the scope on her rifle and cautiously took a step back. All of the Autobots stood on edge as they heard a clicking sound down the stairway.

"What is that?" Arcee asked.

"Shepard, if you're all done with the ExoGeni building I'd get back here quickly," Ironhide said.

"Shepard, Shepard are you there?" Liara asked frantically.

"What's wrong Liara?" Shepard asked.

Garrus stood outside the shelter and nodded to Cliff Jumper as the Autobot drove into the garage.

"Its Optimus, we were decoding the data, he downloaded it into his cerebral cortex, when suddenly he went offline, slammed right into the floor," Tali explained, sounding as shocked as Liara was.

"By Primus," Ratchet gasped.

"We need to focus on the task at hand," Arcee said.

"Arcee's right we've got possible hostiles incoming," Ironhide raised his weapon.

The ground behind Bumblebee suddenly collapsed, drawing the little Autobot into a black abyss. Jazz fired his grappling hook, latching it onto Bumblebee's leg and pulling him back to the surface.

"What's down there?" Arcee asked.

"Hideous…monsters," the scout shivered.

Jazz raised his blaster and widened his eyes as three figures emerged from the hole. One was a gigantic red ant, about the size of Jazz, the second was a wasp also as big as Jazz and the third a stag beetle. All three shocked the Autobots by transforming, their legs and heads folded, forming metallic armour and limbs. The ant's legs folded behind its back and formed a rocket turbine, a silver head popped out of his chest, revealing a robot with an evil grin plastered across its face. The Wasp folded its wings behind its back as its head became the chest piece of its armour. A second head popped out of its chest, smaller but just as wasp like as its previous one. The beetle was as big as Ironhide and Ratchet and removed its horns from its back, forming them into a crossbow.

"Abominations," Arcee snarled, the very idea of flesh and steel hybrids was disgusting to her.

"If they're the abominations then what are those?" Ironhide asked.

He pointed his gun at the cavern as a group of women emerged. They were dressed in black commando suits, but with spider legs sticking out of their backs and limbs and talons on their wrists. Their skin was a green colour and they had Asari head tails, but they couldn't be Asari, they had black spider eyes and mandibles had replaced their lips.

"Primus," Bumblebee gasped.

"Cybertronians utilising organic forms, and Asari mutilated with Cybertronian tech and spider DNA," Ratchet summarised their enemies perfectly.

"Everyone, we have bigger problems than just hybrids," Jetfire said over the radio.

He landed on the spire of the ExoGeni building and looked towards orbit. A ship was beginning to descend; Joker could see the ship from the spaceport. He had never seen a ship so large, it was easily three times the size of the Destiny Ascension, more a space station than a ship.

"Is that a Decepticon ship?" Shepard asked.

"Not any I'm familiar with Commander, and judging from your shock it seems you are all just as ignorant of what lies in this galaxy as we are," Jetfire narrowed his eyes as the hatch of the ship opened.

Much to his shock, his new enemy was a swarm of gigantic wolf and eagle hybrids.

"TILL ALL ARE ONE!" he yelled before he flew into battle.

* * *

><p>The only sound that could be heard within the Thorian's lair was Tarantulas's laughter. Looking through the eyes of his Blackarachnia type hybrids he watched the battle between the Autobots and his creations. The Thorean was calm, indicating that it felt adequately protected.<p>

"I have the kill switch for all the Blackarachnia's, just make sure I reach my transport, succeed and once I reach Gaia I will ensure that the Tripredacus council rewards you a thousand more thralls. After fifty thousand years of exploring, remaining hidden the time has come for us to make our mark on the galaxy, once I am done the organics, the Cybertronians, even the Reapers themselves will come to embrace Synthesis," the spider and robot hybrid continued to cackle.

He hadn't revealed to his supposed ally that the mutation of the Asari clones came with a price. For every clone the Thorian produced would lead further to its own demise, and the deaths of every one of its thralls.

Next Chapter 13: Unworthy Prime

* * *

><p>Hope everyone liked the fic, now the faction Tarantulas represents wont be called Predacons, the concept of Predacons will come in later, I can promise fans of Prime that the Predacons will be represented by Predaking. The appearence of Tarantulas and the Tripredacus council is the beginning of a bigger plot line that will be addressed in the sequal of this story.<p>

Next time as Shepard's crew and the Autobots fight for their lives, Optimus relives his memories only to discover that his recollection of the war is very different from the data Sari recovered.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

Here it is, it was one of my favourite chapters to write, because of the moment in Optimus's past. His upcoming speech was inspired by a speech I saw on the internet by Comedian Charlie Chaplin, I never watched the whole film, but Charlie Chaplin's 'the Great Dictator' was about two characters Charlie Chaplin played, one the dictator and another a Jewish barber whom shared the dictator's appearence, towards the end of the film he impersonates the dictator and delivers a speech that spits on Nazi beliefs.

Its not a complete word for word copy, I felt some of the words summarized the ideal parts of human nature and the ideals of unity, progress and particularly freedom, Optimus is at his heart (or spark in this case :) a leader who fights for freedom and unity. I'm going to try and incorporate that into all of his struggles, that though sometimes he'll doubt and have to sacrifice he will always fight for freedom. Of course on the subject of freedom you all must know what line he'll use to close his upcoming speech :)

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 13: Unworthy Prime

Arcee had rarely known fear in her life, even though she was a soldier. Experiencing fear meant facing down death and even though she had been in her fair share of battles, none of them compared to the terror of facing an enemy unknown to her. She knew of the reputation and fighting skills of every Decepticon under the commands of Megatron and Scorponok, the enemies she had the responsibility of killing. Once Arcee believed that nothing would keep her from following the orders of her superiors, beyond Optimus, beyond Rodimus, the grand commanders of the Autobot forces Ultra Magnus and Maximus, otherwise known as Cerebros. That was until she had gone to Feros and faced for the first time an enemy she hadn't expected from this galaxy.

"There's too many of them," she said frantically.

The Blackarachnias were like a swarm, yet much deadlier than hornets. Biotic acid dripped out of their mouths, a hundred times deadlier than any warp field a regular Asari could unleash. They also had a much more powerful form of biotics, unrefined, untamed by the reasoning mind of an Asari. Each one was an animal, a mockery of whoever had been their genetic template. They, along with the other proto-Insecticons were the most terrifying enemies Arcee had ever faced.

"I AM INVINCIBLE!" Insecticon, the Beetle hybrid was a merciless duelist, scraping his blades across Ratchet's armour, whilst Inferno the ant kept the other Autobots from assisting him.

Raw rage however was useless against Ratchet's patience. Despite being a field medic he was himself a competent fighter. But Arcee knew it wasn't a matter of skill in this fight, rather temperament, Ratchet could control his fear. His hands shifted into gigantic knives that he used to deflect Insecticon's crossbow bolts. Arcee however fired blindly at the Blackarachnias, thrashing her arms as they jumped and web swung around her. She was truly afraid, gone was the disciplined soldier Bumblebee remembered. He fired his rifle, cutting down one clone after another and kicking them against the wall. Arcee was envious of her friend; he reacted without fear for his own safety. Of all the Autobots only Bumblebee could be the one to be described as loyal no matter what, and absolutely fearless. He punched a Blackarachnia aside and kicked another into the air.

"Heads up Ironhide," he called.

The weapons expert grabbed the Blackarachnia by her head and gripped her legs with his other hand. He ripped the creature open, spraying acid across Inferno's blaster. The Ant/Cybertronian hybrid drew a second handgun from his waist and unleashed a barrage of rapid-fire blasts on Ironhide. Ironhide took the shots, giving Jazz time to line up a shot with his sniper rifle. Inferno however saw the former racer and swooped downwards, firing blasts at him.

"Uh oh, looks like he noticed me, whatever can I do?" Jazz asked, the hint of sarcasm in his voice.

He fired his grappling hook, grabbing Inferno's rocket pack. It was Inferno's time to smirk however as he flew into the air, lifting Jazz with him. He laughed as he slammed Jazz against the wall, then into the Prothean ship before taking him out of the colony.

* * *

><p>He opened his optics and looked at his surroundings. Or at least he tried to look at his surroundings. He had no control over his body and it seemed to move on autopilot, typing the controls of a console. Optimus then saw his reflection in the view screen. His body was different from before; his outer armour was smaller and ill suited for combat. Even his metallic face had been exposed; his helmet lacked its signature mouth plate. Then it occurred to him, it was the body he had before he joined the military, when he was a simple clerk. He watched his younger self tap the old fashioned buttons, the computer didn't utilise a holographic interface, primitive to some but its storage capacity was significant. The clerk looked at historical data, star charts and even videos of old council sessions.<p>

"Remember why you are here," he had said to himself.

It was curious to Optimus, for he remembered as Orion Pax being very fond of learning and history, always taking his time and enjoying his time in the record halls. But looking at himself he could see a quick pace to his work, he was in a hurry.

"This, this isn't how I remember my day being," Optimus muttered.

"Found you," Orion said, linking his fingers together.

He was looking at a star map, a planet within what was at the time Prothean controlled space. Now it was called Therum. He typed in data again, combing through star maps and historical records of artefacts of his people. Again he saw results, this time with planets he was again familiar with in the present, Feros and Noveria. He pulled a wire out of his gauntlet and connected it to the computer, streams of data rushed by, data only Optimus and his past counterpart Orion were fast enough to decipher. But the data was curious to Optimus, Orion was hacking the Autobots intelligence recovered from the Protheans. The Empire was sending warnings to the invading forces, there were uprisings across Prothean space. The supposedly unbreakable empire was falling apart. That's when Optimus felt it, the epiphany that Orion had at that moment. Whatever reason he had for hacking the records was forgotten, replaced by the realisation that he had been right about something.

"There is still hope, when even a single spark remains there is still hope," Orion was not talking about the life force of a Cybertonian, but the spark within every sentient being in the universe to fight for something that was their right.

Protheans denied that right; they denied people their right to govern themselves, the right to bear their own names, to be a part of their own community with their own culture and not the one the Protheans enforced. The pure blood Protheans in that moment where Orion's most hated enemy, but that hatred slowly faded as he looked up images of he imprisonment of his own kind, the Energon mines, the gladiatorial arena. Optimus remembered looking at these things and feeling pity, but never hatred, and he remembered regarding the Protheans with hatred, hatred so strong that he did something that made him unworthy of being a Prime. Orion however, his hatred was fading, as if he understood what it was to have another's will enforced on him. It was as if he understood that if he was to truly fight for freedom then he could not simply enforce his will on the Protheans.

"Primus…I understand now," he said.

"What did you understand?" Optimus asked, in hopes of getting an answer from Orion.

The building shook and Orion rose from his seat. He hacked the orbital satellites and gasped, for Prothean ships were on their way to a Protoform care centre, and another group of ships were heading to Iacon. Orion ran through the corridors of the record halls and out through the main doors. His fellow workers were rushing away from the hall, or to any of the shelters. They just wanted to get away from the fighting and as Orion looked up at the Prothean ships bombarding Iacon he knew what he had to do. He looked to his ship, but there was no memory or feeling of fear that Optimus could recall. His counterpart never thought of running, because of the epiphany he had come to.

"One must fight for freedom too," Orion said.

Suddenly, a plate slid across his mouth and his eyes narrowed into a state of permanent determination. He looked towards two Autobots running towards the battle and recognised them as Warpath and Prowl.

"Wait, I didn't meet them at Iacon," Optimus said.

"You two," Orion called out.

The Autobots stopped and looked towards the record's clerk.

"You need a ship right?" he asked, pointing his thumb over to his shuttle.

Warpath and Prowl looked at the Autobot and widened their eyes as he raised his hand. The open palm enclosed into a fist and they saw in his eyes the kind of determination a leader had.

"We're going to save Iacon, we're going to protect our people!" he said the words as if they were an order, and that was enough for the two soldiers to fall in line.

* * *

><p>In a way Optimus had gone to another world. But to the crew of the Normandy he was lying on the floor, motionless as if he was a coma patient. Liara, Ashley and Tali stayed close to him, concern evident on their faces whilst everyone else was afraid and confused. So far Optimus had proven to be the strongest of the Autobots yet he seemed to have fallen so easily.<p>

"Optimus, Optimus wake up, by the goddess what's going on?" Liara asked.

She was on top of Optimus's chest plate, banging against it in a vane attempt to wake him up.

"Skipper, I think Optimus might have actually gone offline, maybe a virus of some kind, Jetfire's whole defection could have been a farce," Ashley explained.

"I'd love to chat about this Ash, but we're a little busy at the moment," Shepard said.

Ashley heard gunfire over the radio and assumed correctly that Shepard and the squad had run into the retreating Geth forces. Wrex and Garrus stood outside the Exogeni shelter, shooting the waves of Geth as they entered the garage. Shepard popped out of her cover; firing shots from her pistol, breaking Geth flash light heads.

"Cliff Jumper are you and Lizbeth okay? Cliff Jumper?" Shepard repeated, waiting for the Autobot's response.

True to his name, Cliff Jumper was doing something incredibly foolish. He crashed through the Exo-geni building, landing on a beast hybrid. Then he jumped, smashing into one hybrid after another, moving like a pinball through the air. Two hybrids swooped towards him, causing Lizbeth to scream. She was already terrified from the drop, Cliff however relished in the danger. He fired his blaster, one shot missed, then a second, and the third luckily broke the wing of the left hybrid. The creature veered off course, crashing into its partner. Cliff Jumper dragged his arm and leg against the side of the building, bringing his fall to an unceremonious slide. He crashed through the roof of the parking lot, landing on the top floor, only for it to collapse. Cliff shielded Lizbeth as he fell down two floors.

"Slag, that hurt," he grimaced, feeling the sparks coming out of his left shoulder.

His armour had been damaged in the fall, but the alternative had been making his way through Exogeni, risking attack from Geth and mercenary forces. Those said forces were already a buffet for the beast machine hybrids. Winged wolves and reptiles would crash through the walls of the building, taking victims into their jaws or talons. Jetfire watched a wolf force a Krogan down its throat; it was even eating the VI terminal the merc had been near. The seeker swerved between his targets, slashing with his sword and shooting with his blaster. With one arm he would cut and another he would shoot apart. A eagle and reptile hybrid dashed past Jetfire, scratching his back with claws. He swung around, shifting his sword into a blaster. Firing both his weapons at rapid fire he flew across the colony, bringing down any hybrid foolish enough to pursue him.

"That ship is the real problem, we could do with some aerial support," Ironhide said, using a hut from Zhu's hope as a makeshift shield.

Waspinator fired one shot after another, pelting Ironhide's defences with acid rounds. Ironhide threw the debris, but Waspinator flew underneath it. Bumblebee then jumped at the insect and slammed his foot into Waspinator's chest. The force of the kick caused the Insecticon to roll back, crashing into the wall. Insecticon swung his blades at Ratchet, only for the medic to deflect his swords and stab his own blades into Insecticon's shoulders. Ratchet ripped them free and then kicked Insecticon in the chest, causing him to fall and squish five Blackarachinas beneath him. Insecticon rose from the ground, snarling furiously at the medic. But Ratchet remained calm, side stepping each blow. Insecticon swung his sword, cleaving through Zhu's Hope water pipe.

"We needed that," Ratchet snarled before stabbing Insecticon in the neck.

He pulled his arm up, feeling Insecticon's neck break. Ratchet then pulled his blade upwards, slicing through the monster's head. The body flailed its arms around before falling to the ground. Ratchet pulled his shotgun from his hip and fired two rounds into Insection's chest, ripping apart its flesh and hardened bone chassis. He narrowed his eyes in disgust at the organic heart the creature possessed, underneath its layers of carbon/steel hybrid armour. Ratchet burst the heart open, giving it two rounds for good measure.

"Doctor T'Soni, tell me about Optimus's condition," he said.

"I can answer that question," Tali said.

She climbed on top of Optimus's chest and activated her Omni-tool, running a diagnostic scan over his armour and internal systems.

"Even though his body isn't moving, he's still generating power, and contrary to appearances his neural network is actually on overdrive," Tali explained.

"I see, he truly is reliving his past memories," Ratchet lowered his head, as if he didn't want Optimus to get his memories back.

"Well your fearless leader picked a hell of a time, Commander we've got those weird Asari things pounding against the Normandy," Joker explained.

The pilot looked through his window and yelped slightly, a Blackarachnia was pounding against the ship, pressing her mandibles against the glass. Joker looked at his hull monitor of the Normandy and widened his eyes; the Asari clones were actually doing damage to the armour, hitting it with acid and warp fields.

"Shit, Ash, anyone with a big gun, if you go out there and shoot those things I don't think anyone would mind," Joker said.

Ashley was already in the process of putting her armour and weapons on. She checked over her rifle, making sure the inferno shells upgrade was on. Much to her shock Liara was also dressing into light armour and took a pistol from the weapons locker.

"We need to protect the ship," she said, and that was all the excuse Ashley needed.

Tali grabbed her shotgun and ran over to the two women.

"I'll go too, there's nothing I can do for Optimus, he just needs to process the new information he's gained," Tali explained.

"Are you any good with that shot gun?" Ashley asked.

"We'll have to wait and see wont we?"

Tali cocked the gun and took a position next to Liara. Ashley could tell from the pose Tali took that she had had military training too, and was much more confident about fighting that Liara. Joker opened the main hatch and Ashley quickly let out a few bursts from her rifle, bringing down several Blackarachnias waiting on the other side. The trio rushed out of the ship and began searching for the rest of the clones. Liara's hand shook as she heard the clicking of mandibles. A Blackarachnia in spider form crawled into her field of vision and she quickly let out a biotic field, pulling the creature off of the ship. Another Blackarachnia however jumped off of the walls, changing to humanoid form and slashing her claws at Liara. She fell to the floor, using her biotics to slid herself out of the clone's range. But the hybrid let out an acid spit, forcing Liara to roll out of the way. Ashley fired several shots into the hybrid, bringing it down before it could spit again. She then turned firing another burst into a spider.

"Thank you Chief Williams," Liara said.

"Focus T'Soni, start using those biotics for something other than lifting," Ashley said.

She shot another hybrid, and then a second and rolled out of the path of another's warp field. Ashley traded her rifle for her shotgun and ripped open the head of a spider. Tali likewise was doing the same, shooting more hybrids than she overloaded. The tech of her Omni-tool swept over the clones, overloading their bionic parts. She shot two spiders off of the Normandy's side and then took aim with a carnage rocket. Joker sighed in relief as the target hit its mark, a spider attempting to damage the Normandy's propulsion. More spiders however began crawling in from the rooftops, jumping onto the Normandy's rockets.

"Joker, activate the Normandy's propulsion systems, just a small burst will do," Tali said.

"What will…oh I see where you're going with this," Joker said, his hands already moving to activate the Normandy's propulsion rockets.

Like revving the engine Joker activated the rockets, burning the hybrids on them with the mass effect fields. Liara drew several hybrids into a singularity and then created a biotic explosion, throwing some back and melting their armour. Ashley pulled her pistol out with her free hand and fired armour-piercing rounds into a hybrid's skull. She then swung the shotgun around and shredded another hybrid's chest.

"They're disorganised, more beasts than people," Liara said.

"Its all the better for us, but they just keep coming," Ashley huffed, rolling to the side to dodge a webline.

She cursed as a web blob trapped her foot. But it wasn't enough to make her panic, she unclipped her rifle and fired bullets into any enemy that approached her. Tali ran underneath the Normandy, shooting two hybrids before she reached Ashley. The Quarian activated her Omni-tool and began using a cutting laser to separate Ashley's foot from the webbing. Liara creating another singularity, lifting up three more hybrids that tried to attack her allies. Ashley then shot them with her rifle and patted Tali on the back, a small thanks for getting her free.

"We're holding the line, Shepard how is your squad doing?" Ashley asked over the radio.

"We've established a defensive line in the Exo-Geni garage, Geth forces are quickly being mopped up, its just these hybrid creatures we need to worry about," Shepard explained.

Cliff Jumper had placed a whole line of cars around the perimeter of the garage, making convenient cover for Shepard and her squad. Kaidan crushed insect hybrids with his biotics and Garrus shot others with his sniper rifle. Wrex and Shepard both through incendiary grenades, melting the hybrids that came into the garage. Cliff Jumper kept rolling the barrels of his neutron assault rifle, cutting apart one enemy after another. He loaded another mag into the rifle and fired again, knowing he only had a few ammunition packs left.

"I'm running low on grenades here Ratchet, how is your team doing?" Shepard asked.

"THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" she heard Arcee scream.

Arcee fired multiple blasts from her pistol, only for her targets to leap out of her sight. They circled around her, hitting her with warp fields and clogging her parts with webbing.

"ARCEE!" Bumblebee yelled.

He transformed to car mode and jumped over a ramp. Then he changed into robot form and in midair shot the hybrids on Arcee's left. He shot the others as he landed, covering Arcee and protecting her as she rose from the floor.

"Its like they're coming off of a production line," he muttered.

"What do you mean Bee?" Ironhide asked, squashing a hybrid with his foot.

"The way they keep coming out of the tunnel, as if they're being sent straight out of the factory after production," Bumblebee elaborated.

"That's it, something down there is producing those things," Arcee said.

With Bee at her side she had regained some of her courage. Her shots became more focused, hitting the hybrids even when they jumped around. Ironhide rolled the barrels of his cannons, cutting apart the hybrids as they emerged from the tunnels they made. He took a shot to his shoulder from Waspinator and raised his arms, aiming his cannon fire at the annoying Insecticon.

"Oooh, Waspinator not die to iron bot," the creature said.

"Primus that voice is annoying," Ironhide growled.

Ratchet fired his cannon at Waspinator, only for the Insecticon to fly further into the air.

"Waspinator try human ship, see if there's anything tasty there," he said.

"Chief Williams, watch yourself, one of the Cybertron/insect hybrids is heading towards you," Ratchet said.

He sliced a Blackarachnia in half and then looked to Arcee.

"ARCEE LOOK OUT!" he yelled.

Arcee turned and yelled as acid struck her knee joints. Bumblebee caught her as she fell, the wiring on her legs melted away. She shot the four Blackarachnia's in anger, as repayment for her severed legs. Ironhide stood in front of the young Autobots, firing his cannons in a wide arc at any enemy that approached them.

"Damn it, we need reinforcements," the weapons expert growled.

Blaster came down from the sky and the Autobots looked up to see Jetfire. He fired his blaster, blowing away several Blackarachnias before he landed beside Ratchet. Jetfire dragged his sword across the ground, cutting apart more and more spider creatures. His sword flew into the sky, impaling a flying hybrid. Ratchet and Jetfire fired their guns at the sky, with the former seeker hovering over the colony. Ironhide and Bumblebee fired at the ground, all four protected themselves from all angles. Jazz meanwhile fired his blaster at Inferno, and continued to hang onto his grapple line. Inferno fired his own cannons at the former racer, cursing as he dodged the blasts. The Insecticon increased his speed, hoping to smash Jazz against a wall.

"Jazz, if you would stop playing with the abomination we could use a little help here," Ratchet said.

"Be with you very soon Ratchet, I've got a bug to squash," Jazz said.

"Squash me? HA! Old tech like you could never destroy me," Inferno stated.

"Wow you got good hearing."

"Of course, I was designed to be superior to you Autobots in every way, I am the next step for your species," Inferno explained.

Jazz fired at Inferno again, redirecting him towards two pillars. Inferno flew between the pillars, Jazz on the other hand slammed his legs into them, wedging himself between them. Inferno flew forward, or at least tried to. He continued to flare his rockets, having no intention of losing to Jazz. Suddenly, his rocket pad was ripped off of his back. The Insecticon rolled in midair, slamming into a wall so hard that his organic components shattered. Jazz slid down the pillars and transformed into car mode. As Inferno rose from the ground he was his by gunfire. The rounds cut off his arm and then knocked off his head. Three more rounds tore open his chest plate, with the last rounds of the clip rupturing his arteries. Inferno fell to the floor, if he wasn't dead already Jazz was sure driving over him had finished the job.

"That's another Insecticon down Ratchet, where's the annoying one?" Jazz asked.

"Heading towards the Normandy, Sky Lynx, keep your optics active," Ratchet said.

"Even if I can see him coming my weapons are no good at close range," Sky Lynx said.

He looked down at the swarms of Blackarachnias running towards the Normandy. The three organics were holding the line well, with Liara creating singularities and throwing other hybrids back. Tali used her Omni-tool to fix cracks in the Normandy's hull, whilst the gunnery chief hit Blacharachnias between their eyes with her sniper rifle. She traded her rifle for her shotgun and fired a rampage rocket into the ceiling above the entrance, crushing some of the hybrids with debris.

"Where in Primus did these monsters come from anyway Sky Lynx?" Cliff Jumper asked, knowing that the giant Autobot had been in space longer than the rest of them.

"I've never heard of pirates like these, we do take on metallic forms of alien wildlife but actually merging with them? Not even I'm crazy enough for that," Sky Lynx explained.

"Just hold out for as long as you can people, you guys had better get out of here now," Shepard said.

"Shepard what's going on over there?" Ashley asked.

"The Exo-Geni researchers are in the Mako but they aren't taking off, Juliana you've got your daughter now go," Shepard said.

"Give me the wheel Juliana I'm not going to get myself killed waiting for some second rate marine who couldn't save her own squad," Shepard heard Jeong's words over the radio and felt like punching the weasel in the face.

Her prayers were answered by Lizbeth, who slammed the man's head against the control panel. By some twist of chance it happened to be the panel for controlling the Mako's turret, a grenade flew out of the barrel and into the mouth of a wolf/eagle hybrid. Shepard turned and fired her rifle, hitting a metal-toothed snake that tried slivering towards her.

"I hope Optimus is having better luck recovering that data," she muttered as the barrel of her gun illuminated the room.

* * *

><p>Optimus felt the emotions pouring from his other self. Orion Pax flew his ship without doubts, with clarity and righteousness in his spark. That certainty spread to Warpath and Prowl, both knew that this was a bot of supreme confidence. Even as they flew behind the Prothean war machines that rolled and hovered towards the council hall. Optimus watched his younger self walked towards the back of his ship, where a number of artefacts had been displayed. He took the Skyboom shield off of the wall, a simple shield used during the time their ancestors hadn't developed armour for deflecting blaster fire. Then he took the star sabre from its rack, a weapon that was redundant considering military bots had concealed, or portable close range weaponry. But the relics were the weapons of great heroes; they were a part of Cybertron history and would resonate through the sparks of Orion's people. He was going to use them not just as weapons, but symbols.<p>

"Help me ancient warriors, help me save my people," Orion said, holding the sabre close to his chest.

He rushed back to the controls and banked to the right, straight towards the bridge of a Prothean war roller, a massive tank the Protheans used to crush villages. The Prothean command crew knew fear for the first time as the ship crushed them. The ship slid across the floor, bashing into the wall to stop. Orion kicked the hatch open and transformed to his truck mode.

"You two, get to the hanger now and steal a Prothean ship," he commanded and they obeyed.

Orion moved to the artillery centre, driving through any Prothean soldiers that tried to attack him. Their indoctrinated slave soldiers also got in his way and Optimus felt the guilt of his counterpart as he drove through them, they were slaves but willing slaves all the same. They had chosen to fight whom the emperor had told them to as opposed to who their enemies should be. Orion reached the artillery centre and knelt by one of the control panels. He hacked the turret controls and turned the side turrets of the war roller on the other Prothean forces. The Prothean commanders widened their eyes in horror as their own weapon was used against them. Prothean tanks were blow to bits and the gunnery crews on the other war rollers were caught unaware. It marked the first time in Prothean history a war roller was destroyed. Orion converted a turret into a shotgun and jumped off of the war roller, he fired at the left tracks, destroying them so that it would alter the course of the roller. He quickly drove away from the war machine as it crashed into a war roller. The defence forces at the council hall looked at the two crashing behemoths in awe, just as Warpath and Prowl arrived.

"What happened?" a red and yellow Autobot asked.

"A warrior has appeared Hot Rod, and he seems to fancy himself a hero," Prowl said.

"A hero?" Hot Rod asked, somewhat sceptical.

He widened his eyes as two Prothean war mechs were dropped onto the council steps. The war mechs lowered the barrels of their particle cannons, aiming directly at Hot Rod. Suddenly, both mechs fell to the floor as a blue and red blur cut through them. Orion held both the skyboom shield and the star sabre, the latter's blade glowed orange as he cleaved through the mechs, crushing the pilots. He yanked his blade out of the final mech and turned to his people.

"AUTOBOTS! I AM ONE OF YOU! I LIVE ON THE PLANET AND I FIGHT FOR IT!" he roared, and all turned to look at him.

He raised pointed to the Prothean forces with hatred reflecting off of his optics.

"These people, no they can not be considered people anymore, they move across the galaxy, doing nothing but enslaving others, denying thousands of species their cultures, their histories, their gods and EVEN THEIR ORIGINAL NAMES! THEY CALL US UNNATURAL BUT THEY ARE UNNATURAL! THEY CALL US MACHINES BUT THEY ARE MACHINES!" Orion dehumanised his enemies, but only so his allies would fight harder than they ever had before.

"These Protheans have purged individuality from their culture, they have purged the very emotions that make them alive, they are devoid of sympathy and incapable of understanding, yet we will continue to try to understand…so long as we show them that we will not let our freedom be taken so easily. Warriors of Iacon, people of Cybertron, lose yourselves in your hatred of your enemy, fight to destroy them, lose yourself in fear, fight to stay alive, lose yourself in love, fight to protect your friends and your homes, FIGHT FOR YOUR FREEDOM!"

Looking upon the warriors, Optimus could see that the words of Orion bought out feelings within their sparks, even as the Prothean war machines flew towards them, the words of a single bot gave them strength and courage.

"DO NOT GIVE IN TO THESE UNNATURAL BEINGS! THESE MACHINES! WE ARE NOT MACHINES WE ARE ALIVE AND WE ARE FREE!" he raised his sword high over his head and the Autobots raised their weapons, ready to fight, to die for their freedom and their planet, and the words Orion next spoke were words that would bury themselves within the spark of every Autobot present whom valued all of the good things in the universe, just as they also marked Optimus himself. "FREEDOM IS THE RIGHT OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS!"

Without commanding the troops, Orion ran to battle, and the Autobots followed his example. Hot Rod, Prowl and Warpath stayed the closet to him and the cannons on the walls of Iacon fired, following the words that had echoed through the radio channels of the city. They fired, hitting the Protheans just as the infantry and seekers did. The light of their sparks shined brighter than it ever had, and the warriors of Cybertron showed just how strong they really were. Orion cleaved his sword through enemies, deflecting blasts with his sword, always moving forward. He bashed a war mech across the head, roaring at the soldiers inside to make them flee. Warpath fired his cannon in tank mode, destroying the tracks of war rollers, bringing fighters out of the sky. The famous Seeker squadron, led by Jetfire launched volleys of missiles, hitting Prothean capital ships and tanks. Orion climbed onto the capital, fortress class tank of the Prothean forces, dragging his sword through its hull, not just to kill the soldiers on the surface but to open the tank. Prowl and Hot Rod threw grenades into the hole Orion had made, and he climbed further up the fortress, cutting any war mech that tried to attack him. He threw the Skyboom shield, cutting a Prothean ship down the middle. Then he swung his sword and cut a war mech's legs off, causing it to fall off of the tank. Orion tripped another mech and stabbed the star sabre into its cockpit. He looked up and saw that his allies though outnumbered had crushed the Prothean forces, forcing many of the remnants into a retreat.

The joy Optimus felt from Orion was quickly replaced by sorrow, as he saw the A1 begin to gun them down. He thought Longarm's forced would reinforce D-17. The clerk felt that he should've gone to the incubation facility instead, to protect the protoforms, his faith in Longarm had been misplaced. Even as his fellow Autobots chanted his name in victory, Orion felt sorrow, it was strange to Optimus. He had always felt guilt for what had happened after the battle, not during the battle. It was as if he had a personal reason for feeling sad about D-17. Orion walked with Hot Rod after the battle and Optimus recognised the young Autobot, he was Rodimus's previous self, before his promotion to Prime. The pair walked into the council chambers and Optimus felt the tinge of hatred resonate within his spark. He didn't know why Orion had reason to hate the council of Primes, but he did. Sentinel Prime stood in front of the council of seven bots, as he was the oldest and wisest of them all. He was a red armoured Autobot with a grey back unit that flowed down to his legs like a cape. Sentinel walked towards Orion, revealing the Protheans and Prothean slaves trapped in the stasis field behind him.

"Orion, its strange I don't recall you being under my command," Sentinel said.

"I am a record clerk Sentinel, I was also responsible for transporting relics sir, once I saw what was happening at Iacon I knew I had to help," Orion explained.

"Help you did, though it was unnecessary, my forces were already on the way," Longarm said.

"I was under the impression that you would reinforce the D-17 facility, our young must be protected," Orion said.

"Not over the sparks of our leaders," said one of the council members.

"Our continued survival is a priority, without us order falls apart," said another.

"No our people are what is important," Orion said.

Optimus's memory had diverged again, he remembered Sentinel giving him a gun, to execute the prisoners. He had followed the order without question, or so he remembered. Instead there was no order to execute, though Optimus could see the hatred the council had for the organics, and Orion's hatred for the council.

"Your actions have increased the morale of our troops, they are now fighting better than ever," Longarm said as he walked around Orion. "You've done something great here Orion, although, I find it puzzling an information clerk like you can fight so well, it seems there is more to your story than it…"Longarm never got to finish his sentence, as Orion punched him across the face, taking his blaster.

"How dare you, such insolence in the presence of this planet's masters!" one of the council members widened his optics as Orion aimed his blaster.

"WE ARE NOT YOUR SLAVES ANYMORE!" Orion yelled.

Optimus gripped his head and awoke from his stasis. His memories were completely wrong. One memory was him rallying the forces with the news that reinforcements were on the way and executing prisoners, thus making him unworthy of being a Prime. But the new memories, the memories that felt right in Optimus's spark showed that his presence alone had inspired the warriors, and that for some unknown reason he had attacked the council. Yet he was still alive, even though he had gone against the rulers of the planet.

"No, not rulers," Optimus said.

He still had residual feelings from the transfer of memories. Optimus stood up and looked at his surroundings, back on the Normandy, with the crew rushing around as if a battle was going on.

"Optimus, Optimus are you awake?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes old friend, I am awake, what's the situation?"

"I'VE GOT TWO MEN INSIDE ME!" Cliff Jumper yelled as he drove across the highway.

"That just went someplace horrible," Garrus muttered.

He and Kaidan sat inside Cliff Jumper's car form, both poking their rifles out of their windows to shoot the pursuing hybrids. Wrex and Shepard sat on the Mako, shooting at the vultures in the air, whilst Lizbeth drove the Mako down the crumbling road.

"You see Shepard, it is your driving, if it was you the Mako would be on its back," Wrex explained.

"LESS TALKING MORE SHOOTING!" Shepard yelled.

"Optimus, Arcee's wounded and we're slowly being over run, we need to stop these Hybrids at their source," Ratchet explained.

Waspinator flew into the hanger, firing shots at the Normandy that caused it to shake. He focused his attention on the three women below and changed to his wasp form.

"Oooh, tasty treats," Waspinator cooed as he hovered in front of the squad.

He took a few bullets to his eyes and batted Ashley aside. She rolled across the floor, then rolled to avoid a Blackarachnia. Ashley pulled her pistol out and shot the hybrid before it could attack again. Liara attempted to throw a warp field, only for a web blob to pin her to the ground. Optimus opened the Normandy's hatch and squashed two spiders that tried to attack Tali. He then turned his attention to Waspinator as the creature bought its fangs towards Liara, dripping saliva across her armour.

"Waspinator relishing the chance to taste Asari, Waspinator enjoy organic meat," the creature snarled.

Waspinator yelped as Optimus grabbed him by his stinger. Optimus dug his fingers into Waspinator's mouth and began to pull.

"WASPINATOR DIE!" he yelled

Liara, Tali and Ashley widened their eyes as Optimus savagely ripped the wasp apart, splitting it down the centre. He threw the pieces aside and took out his path blaster.

"Tell me where these monsters are coming from Ratchet!"

Next Chapter 14: Confrontation with the Thorian

* * *

><p>Optimus takes another step in his destiny, and another step towards the answers of his past. And to die hard fans I apologise, the Skyboom shield and Star sabre in this universe are just relics, weapons that aren't at all special, Optimus however used another part of leadership, inspiration, both his speech and the presence of these ancient and revered weapons inspired his men, in a way their power to inspire an army was more powerful than their ability to cut or slice.<p>

Next time, the Thorian saga comes to a close as Optimus takes matters into his own hands, Megatron also takes matters into his hands as he becomes most displeased with Starscream's lack of progress.


	14. Chapter 14

Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime

Chapter 14: Confrontation with the Thorian

Tarantulas had eyes throughout the entire colony. Exo-Geni were not the only ones studying the effects of the Thorian spores. Tarantulas lived for his science and the progress it could bring, it had all stemmed from his curiosity. He was curious about humans, Krogan, Turians, he wanted to know everything there was to know about the species of the new cycle. So he observed the ruthless nature of those in power, the day to day activities of the masses, and the daily pushes the Thorian gave its puppets. He began to think that they were all fragile, until he saw Commander Shepard. In between packing his things, Tarantulas looked through the eyes of his spider drones and saw the ferocity the human female fought with, her determination and how that would pass to her men. Then there were the Autobots, at first Tarantulas was not impressed. But then he saw him, the red and blue armoured warrior they referred to as Optimus. Before his arrival the Autobots were decimating his Insecticon prototypes, with Optimus heading towards Zhu's Hope, carrying the three organic females in his truck form, the fighting skills of the Autobots and the Spectre's forces seemed to increase.

"Such curious power this Optimus wields, such skill and ferocity, yet the respect he commands, it is like that of Nominus Prime or the Fallen before he…well fell," Tarantulas mussed, clicking his talons together.

The Thorean growled, causing the very ceiling to shake. Tarantulas ignored the creature and hummed, continuing his rant.

"He may be the Prime, but no, no, no, no Primes are grand commanders, the admirals of fleets, the leaders of entire cities, what is he?" the hybrid wondered. "But alas I may have no time to sate my curiosity, I bid you farewell Thorean, you gave me good results but unfortunately if I am to perfect the Insecticon program I must gain a better facility," the scientist explained as he transformed to his beast mode.

The Thorean yelled, but Tarantulas cackled, climbing into his transport. A drill slid out of the nosecone and it began tunnelling through the catacombs, carrying a web bag filled with the data discs Tarantulas had gathered. He kept on watching his video feeds, watching the great warrior Optimus squash his precious Blackarachnias.

"Note to self, make the next Blackarachnia bigger," he said.

Optimus drove fast, faster than Ashley thought it was possible for a truck to drive. He squashed any Blackarachnia unfortunate enough to get in his way. Ashley couldn't even fire a shot from his window, not that she needed to anyway. As well as his bulky armour, Optimus had rocket launchers mounted underneath his headlights that he used to blow away the hybrids. Liara tightened her grip on her pistol as Optimus drew closer to the sounds of battle. She then heard the screams and gasped, recognising Arcee's voice. Her shock was nothing in comparison to Tali's, before the Quarian believed they were incapable of humour, she was proven wrong by the younger Autobots, before she believed they were incapable of loyalty or even disloyalty, Jetfire had proven her wrong, she believed they were incapable of rage and Optimus had proven her wrong, once again she had been proven wrong, Arcee was in pain and Tali actually felt sympathy for her. But then she felt awe as she saw the Autobot shooting the hybrid creatures as Ratchet checked her over.

"You'd best take cover now," Optimus told his passengers as they disembarked.

"I'm a soldier Optimus," Ashley said.

That was all Optimus needed to hear to know that he could count on them to fight. He transformed into robot mode, immediately firing his path blaster and knocking several hybrids away from Ironhide and Bumblebee. Optimus fired multiple shots, destroying his enemies in waves and cutting a path for Ashley and her squad. They fired their pistols, killing another wave of Blackarachnias as they came out of the tunnel. Optimus kicked a clone into the wall and then flicked another towards Bumblebee. The scout jumped and kicked the hybrid, sending it flying across the colony.

"Good to see you back sir," Bumblebee said.

"Autobots, evacuate our wounded and the humans," Optimus commanded.

"YES SIR!" the Autobots yelled.

Optimus drew his axe and much to the shock of the Autobots shifted it into a sword form. The blade glowed orange as he jumped off of a hut, slicing through an aerial hybrid. He then fired his path blaster, knocking back several clones. The barrel of his weapon expanded as he raised it to the sky. A gigantic blast wave flew out of the cannon, disintegrating several of the winged hybrids. Bumblebee looked at his commander in awe, only to be slapped by Arcee.

"A little less gawking and more walking," she said.

"We get the wounded out like Optimus said soldier," Jetfire said.

Ratchet and Ironhide ran to either side of the hut they had imprisoned the colonists in. They ripped the hut off of the ground, carrying it like a box out of range of Optimus's battle. Jazz provided cover fire for his fleeing allies before jumping to Optimus's side. He swung his neutron assault rifle, shooting apart several clones.

"Like the young bot said boss, its good to see you back," Jazz said.

"Grappling hook," Optimus sheathed his sword and raised his hand.

Jazz unravelled his hook and gave it to Optimus. The Autobot commander, he could truly call himself that now with confidence, ran his hand across the ground, lightly tapping it.

"Hollow," he said.

"The smaller organics wouldn't notice it but there's definitely space under there," Jazz said.

"Do you have an energon pack to spare?" Optimus asked.

Jazz nodded his head and gave his leader his energy pack. Optimus connected the pack to his path blaster and aimed at the ground. He fired his gun and span in a circle, cutting a circle into the ground. Jazz widened his eyes and braced himself. He locked his feet to the ground as Optimus dropped into the catacombs below. Optimus kept a hold of his line, blasting the clones beneath him before he let it go. He landed on the ground, which nearly collapsed under his weight. Then he raised his head and looked upon the disgusting sight of the Thorean.

"So all we have to do is pluck out this Thorean thing and the clones will stop appearing?" Ashley asked as she and her squad moved into the Thorean's lair.

"Doesn't sound…too…difficult," Tali looked up at the Thorean and gasped.

"Shepard, you said this thing was a plant, what I'm looking at is not a plant," Ashley said.

"By the goddess," Liara muttered.

The creature they looked at was a chunk of flesh, with tendrils poking out of what accounted for a mouth. Optimus immediately spotted the roots sticking the Thorean to the walls. It was inside a circular space, a drop that would shatter even a Cybertronian's legs. The Thorean seemed to gag as liquid spewed from its mouth. An object squeezed through the tendrils and the disgust of the crew grew rose at what they saw. The Thorean regurgitated an Asari, dressed in commando gear. But the Asari's skin was a strange green colour. She looked up at Optimus as if he was a minor annoyance before speaking.

"Invaders, your every step is a transgression against us, know that no trade will be made between us ever again," the Asari clone stated.

"Between us? What are you talking about?" Optimus asked.

"Your kind, we have traded with the natives of this growth and of the old growth, the one you refer to as the Fallen one," the Thorean explained.

Optimus narrowed his optics, he had finally found what the Fallen had been looking for. The Geth had stayed on Feros to get rid of the Thorean and keep the information it possessed away from any pursuers, they had probably learnt of Optimus and Rodimus's crew and no desire for either group to learn of their actions or what they were after.

"What did you give the Fallen?" Optimus asked.

"The Fallen could not access certain levels of Prothean knowledge, his experience with the Protheans was not as in depth as yours, he had never fought them, had never even seen a Prothean, thus he could not completely understand them. Saren on the other hand, he had seen the Prothean warning through the beacons, to understand such knowledge he required something only the Thorean could offer," the clone explained.

"What was it?" Liara asked.

"There will be no more trades, you have attacked the old growth, freed thralls fairly given," the clone said.

"What is she talking about?" Tali asked.

"Slaves, she means we freed her slaves, the colonists of Zhu's Hope," Optimus snarled.

The clone remained impassive, even as Optimus's grip on his blaster visibly tightened.

"They were freely given," the clone repeated her words.

* * *

><p>There was a yell that could be heard across Therum. A yell of such fury that upon hearing it one could hardly believe one was capable of such anger. Starscream however knew for a fact that his master was capable of it. He closed his optics as Megatron yelled at him again.<p>

"YOU ARE FAILING!"

Megatron's holographic image shook; the Decepticons saw his fists tense, even as Starscream kneeled.

"It wasn't my fault my lord, the Autobots have found a new ally, a gigantic Autobot by the name of Sky Lynx," the air commander explained.

"A records clerk, a medic, three green soldiers, a former racer, a disgraced weapons expert, a mediocre radio operator and a seeker unsure of his loyalties, how is it that you are finding your enemies so difficult to kill?" Megatron asked.

"**More to Autobots than it seems," **Soundwave said, even his holographic form was close by Megatron's side.

"Where is Rodimus?"

The former Autobot leader walked down the hill, with Warpath and Prowl following close behind. Whilst Rodimus remained as firm as ever, Warpath and Prowl hesitated. More and more Optimus had proven himself to be the leader of the stronger force, but also the force that was in the right. They remembered his skill and determination at the battle of Iacon, he had a shuttle capable of getting him to safety but he instead flew straight into the battle. More and more the two bots hoped that they would meet Optimus again.

"It was Rodimus's fault my lord, he tried to extend invitations to the Autobots as opposed to simply destroying them," Starscream said as Rodimus drew closer.

"First it was their organic rivals, then it was the arrival of the energon thief and now you are blaming Rodimus, are you incapable of taking responsibility for your failures air commander?" Megatron asked.

"**Starscream inferior."**

"SILENCE YOU DRONE!" Starscream yelled and then bowed lower as Megatron glared at him. "My lord I…I was able to bring down the Autobot ship and recover some of their weapons and Energon, it was not a complete loss. That and I have been fighting with unreliable information, Optimus Prime is not a records clerk, his skill is too great for such a demeaning role," he explained.

"Prime?" Megatron narrowed his eyes in fury and Starscream lowered his head.

"Perhaps he is worthy of being called a Prime my lord," Thundercracker said, bowing beside Starscream.

"The soldier who failed, are you going to make excuses for Starscream?" Megatron asked.

"No my lord, he was completely ineffective as a leader," Starscream glared, but Thundercracker continued. "We as the soldiers also failed my lord, but Starscream was correct in his recounting of Optimus's skill in battle, he is as ferocious and strong a warrior as you," the seeker then looked up into Megatron's red eyes. "I believe what ever instinct you had about him was correct sir, Optimus is no simple records clerk," he kept on his calm barrier as Megatron stood at ease.

"Soundwave, send a message to Sixshot, tell him to take command of the fleet until he reaches the capital of the Prothean successors," he said.

"**As you command lord Megatron," **the communications officer bowed his head and tapped the buttons on his gauntlet.

"Megatron?" Rodimus looked at his ally with a questioning look.

"Thundercracker, activate the pillars, open a space bridge," Megatron said.

"What are you doing Megatron?" Rodimus asked.

"There is a saying the organics use, one of the few things I agree with them on," Megatron explained as Thundercracker and Skywarp began placing the portable space bridge pillars on the ground.

A blue field appeared between the pillars and Starscream widened his eyes as his master walked through the portal. Soundwave followed, both Decepticons appeared as if their holograms had turned into corporeal forms. Megatron rubbed his arm cannon and huffed, the barren wasteland of Therum did little to impress his view on organic worlds.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself," he said.

Rodimus narrowed his eyes slightly; he hoped Megatron wouldn't get involved.

'Damn you Orion, for bringing things to this point,' he thought as Megatron led his Decepticons to the rebuilt Astrotrain.

"Scrapper how goes the repairs to Astrotrain?" Megatron asked.

"Fortunately the destruction of the Autobot ship gave us enough parts to repair the fool," the Constructicon leader said.

"Good, now Astrotrain what have you learned?"

Upon meeting Megatron's gaze, the giant Decepticon transformed to his shuttle mode.

"I am a disgrace as a warrior, I should leave fighting to my betters," he said.

"Transport is your primary role until I say otherwise, we can not afford to lose you Astrotrain, do not mistake me pulling you from battle as a kindness, you are the fastest of us in vehicle form, you are transport that can not be wasted. Soundwave once we reach orbit you will hack one of the mass relays, utilise the communication network, begin gathering as much intelligence on this galaxy and the Prothean successors as you can, I want their troop numbers, their military legislation, their book work, any rumours surrounding any off the book military units they have, I don't care how benign the rumour is whether it is a black ops unit or a politicians relationship with their family, information is power and we will hold all of the information. Rodimus you and your men will no longer act independently or leave my side, think of betraying me and I will kill you," Megatron kept his threatening and commanding gaze even as he turned away from the former Autobots. "We will remain in disguise mode for as long as necessary, once we have all that we need we will unleash a fleet on this galaxy and show them our might, dominate them with fear as the Protheans tried to with us. Constructicons you will convert what materials remaining from the G1 into flight units, use them to reach key military installations, scout them and report what you know to me in two weeks…I do not need to make clear that you must not be seen," Megatron snarled as he turned to the Seekers. "Thundercracker correct?"

"Yes lord Megatron?" the blue seeker raised his head inquisitively.

"The remaining Seekers will fall under your command," Megatron said.

"WHAT!? BUT LORD MEGATRON I AM…" Starscream's opposition was cut short as Megatron punched him in the face.

"Silence Starscream, you will remain with my unit as we track the movements of Optimus's team," Megatron stated.

"Yes lord Megatron, I promise I will not fail you," Starscream bowed his head, nursing his jaw.

"What will you have us do lord Megatron?" Thundercracker asked.

"Go to what the organics call the Terminus system, scout it out and tell me of its military forces," Megatron said.

Thundercracker bowed his head and transformed to jet form, flying into the atmosphere with his surviving comrades. The Constructicons began their work whilst Astrotrain opened his main hatch. Megatron was first onto the ship, followed by his other men. He stopped Starscream however and turned to the air commander, gripping his shoulder tightly.

"Your recent failures will be forgiven Starscream, if you turn all of your data on the battle, particularly visual data over to me," he said.

"Yes lord Megatron, at once," Starscream tapped the side of his head and a thin red line ran between him and his lord, downloading his memories of his one sided fight with Optimus.

Megatron's optics grew wide in shock, something Starscream had never seen from his lord before. Then he saw something that disturbed him even more, a smile, a true and genuine smile.

"Nemesis," the former gladiator muttered.

'What does his capital ship have to do with Optimus Prime?' Starscream wondered.

"Come Starscream, we must find out where Prime's team is going and intercept them," Megatron said, turning away from Starscream and walking to Soundwave's side. "Begin tracking Sky Lynx," he commanded.

"**As you command lord Megatron!"**

* * *

><p>Tali looked between the Asari clone and Optimus. His hands were actually shaking. Clearly the thrall's words had sparked something inside Optimus. She had seen that the Cybertronians were capable of brutality, that they were capable of friendship and fear. But to know that they were capable anger, especially righteous anger frightened her even more. Her understanding of them had gotten better, but it had done little to ease her fear of them. Surprisingly however the first shot didn't come from Optimus. A round imbedded itself in the Asari's forehead, throwing her off of the ledge and down to the depths below.<p>

"We are not your slaves," Ashley snarled, lowering her rifle.

The room shook as the Thorian roared. It began vomiting out more Blackarachnia clones, this time armed with biotics. Liara used her own biotics, pushing the clones aside as Tali and Ashley fired their guns. Optimus took aim at the Thorian, only to stop as Blackarachnias swarmed around him. He squashed one with his foot and then batted another aside with the barrel of his gun. The Blackarachnia's began shooting acid from their mouths, forcing Optimus to run and jump to another ledge. He fired his path blaster, blowing up the region the five clones were standing on.

"Interesting, it seems Optimus may have personal experience in slavery, that must be the only way to justify his anger," Liara said.

"Ha, you don't have to have experience in slavery to be disgusted by it," Ashley shot two Asari clones and dived for cover as one released a warp field.

Tali created a damping field with her Omni-tool, disabling the biotics of her enemies. Liara then unleashed her own biotics, creating singularities and then blowing them up with warp fields. Green bodies were sent smashing into the walls, breaking bones. The Thorian attempted to swat Optimus with one of its tentacles. Optimus however jumped, digging his fingers into the wall and climbing out of the Thorians range. He reduced the level of his blaster, not wanting to bring the place down on top of them; with each shot he took out a Blackarachnia climbing in beast mode towards him.

"Optimus what are you seeing down there?" Ratchet asked over the radio.

"The Thorean is organic but it seems to have gained Cybertronian implants, that may explain why the copies it produces are part machine," Optimus jumped onto another platform, kicking two clones before blasting a group into bits.

"How could it have gained Cybertronian technology?" Jetfire asked.

"It doesn't have the limbs to graft technology onto its self, and it also requires help and extensive knowledge of the implants too, the Fallen has been in exile for so long that he couldn't possibly gain access to the technology to create a hybrid, there are more Cybertronians in this galaxy, hiding just like the Fallen did," Optimus explained.

"Slag it, we're not the first Cybertronians to come here," Bumblebee said.

"It doesn't matter, our mission still stands, stop the Thorean then we move on to track the Fallen," Optimus said.

He crouched and swept his cannon across the floor, knocking Thorean husks off of the platform. Ashley and her team were also making short work of the husks the Thorean had created, dodging their showers of acid and returning fire. Tali weaved between targets, knocking them back with shots from her shotgun. She crouched and blew a Husk's head off, causing the acid inside to spray onto the Blacharachnia units. Her eyes narrowed underneath her visor as she watched the acid melt away the Cybertronian implants.

"Optimus, the Thorean Husks contain acid that can burn through your armour," she said over the radio.

"Thank you Tali Zorah Nar Rayya," Optimus shot two groups of husks and grabbed a survivor.

He threw the husk towards the Thorean, and fired a blast. The husk exploded, showering the Thorean in acid. It let out a scream as the liquid burned the implants Tarantulas had placed on it. The Thorean blurted out more clones and screamed, commanding its husks to converge on Optimus. A singularity appeared in the corridor they came out of, causing them to float off of the ground. Liara and Ashley stood on the lower platform opposite Optimus's, lifting and shooting the husks with their biotics and sniper rifle respectively. The two women ducked as the Thorean swept its tentacle over them. Optimus drew his axe and dragged it across the ground, throwing the husks and Asari clones aside.

"Shepard what is your status?" Optimus asked.

"We're having to take the long way back to the colony," Shepard said, leaning out of Cliff Jumper's window and shooting down more hybrids.

"Disgusting creatures," Cliff snarled, shooting Thorean husks on the road.

He drifted around the corner, dodging the fire breaths of several winged reptilians. Garrus rolled down the rear window and fired his sniper rifle, bringing each hybrid down with headshots. The Mako was doing just as well, running down Thorean husks at Zhu's hopes garage. Bullets bounced off of the Mako's armour and the employees of Exo-Geni looked through the outer cameras. What they saw was enough to make Jeong scramble for the turret controls. Lizbeth slammed her elbow into his face, keeping him from shooting at the Thorean possessed colonists.

"They cant help themselves, this is because of our experiments," she said.

"They can't do any damage anyway," Juliana said.

Cliff drove into the garage, skidding to a slow halt as Shepard stepped out. She threw a grenade against the wall behind the colonists. With a flash of her Omni-tool, the grenades released a green gas that knocked the colonists unconscious.

"Joker, what's the Normandy's status?" she bought her hand to her ear and contacted the pilot.

"Too close up here commander, we've got readings of winged lizards coming towards us from behind," Joker said.

He braced himself as the hybrids flew towards the Normandy. Suddenly, a metallic red tail smacked the hybrids, breaking their bodies with the simple swat. Sky Lynx lowered his tail and sent a message with a smiley face on it to Joker's terminal. The Alliance pilot eased his posture and looked towards the hanger's cargo entrance. Bumblebee and Jazz were carrying Arcee by her arms, her legs having been melted from acid. It reminded Joker of the images of human soldiers carrying wounded comrades from battle, the sentiment applied to Cybertronians as well.

"Sky Lynx, have the Minicons prep the medical bay, Arcee's taken a bad hit," Jazz said.

"Understatement of the century," Joker winced as Arcee yelled, her left hand was suddenly ripped from Bumblebee's grasp.

"ARCEE!" he yelled, kneeling down to pick her up.

"Put her arm over your shoulder little bot, Sky Lynx open the hatch now," Jazz ordered.

The huge transformer didn't need to be told twice. He opened his belly hatch, where the Minicons were waiting with a hover stretcher. Bumblebee and Jazz set their comrade onto the stretcher as gently as they could. The scout held Arcee's wrist firmly, not wanting to let go even as the stretcher began to float away. Jazz yanked him away, but Bumblebee kept his eyes on Arcee. She raised her head, putting an uneasy smile on her face.

"Get back to the slagging fight soldier," she said.

Once Bumblebee and Jazz were outside the scout broke down, slamming his fist into the dirt.

"PRIMUS! PRIMUS! Her legs, her hand, what is Arcee supposed to do now?" he swung around, looking at Jazz for an answer the older bot couldn't give.

"Get back to the fight," he could only repeat Arcee's words.

They both transformed and began making their way back to the colony, shooting any husk or Blackarachnia that got past their allies defences. That defensive line consisted of those whom were left behind and those whom had arrived. It was a sight Ratchet was sure would bring a smile to Optimus's face, if he hasn't already been driven into a rage in the Thorean's lair. The medic imagined his leader smiling because of what was happening, organics and Cybertronians were working together to fight hybrids. Cliff Jumper transformed to robot mode and slid a blade out of his wrist. He dragged it across the ground, creating a trench for Shepard's squad to use as cover. The four organics set up in the trench, their rifles blazing a trail through the husks and clones that came out of the tunnels. Shepard jumped out of cover and ordered her squad mates into individual positions. Kaidan headed towards the bunker containing the unconscious colonists, making biotic traps to ensnare the hybrids. Garrus took position on the roof of the prefabs, sniping one hostile after another. Wrex lifted two husks into the air and then rampaged through the rest, Krogan tackles were lethal. His blood rage took over, his charges and shotgun blasts were as devastating to the Thorean ranks as Ironhide's cannon fire. Both veterans laughed as they fought back to back, Ironhide shot targets from the sky and Wrex crushed the enemies on the ground.

"Incredible," Bumblebee muttered as he and Jazz entered the fight.

Jazz and Bumblebee fired their rifles, cutting apart the spiders and hybrids. They jumped, landing either side of Garrus's position. He nodded to them, accepting the protection they offered before he killed a hybrid with a headshot. Wrex bashed a husk aside and pushed seven back with a single biotic throw. He cocked his shotgun, causing the light on the barrel to glow red. The Krogan fired a carnage rocket, hitting a winged turtle in the eye. The shot bought the turtle down, right at Ratchet's feet. He stabbed his blades into its chest and ripped the shell open, exposing guts infected with cyber matter. Another stab was all it took to finish it off. Ironhide jumped into the tunnel and squashed several Asari clones.

"Prahmus that is one ugly organic," he whistled as he looked upon the Thorean.

He turned and narrowed his optics at the organic lumps on the wall, fused to those lumps were roots of some kind, connecting the Thorean to the wall.

"Hmm, this looks important," he grinned as he looked over the ledge.

The Thorean was rooted to the walls, and it was a very big drop. He turned to the first root and fired his cannon, cutting it off the wall.

"Optimus, despite how this thing looks its clearly a plant, it has roots on the walls," Ironhide said over the radio.

Optimus pounded a spider hybrid into the floor and looked towards the platform Shepard's teammates were moving on.

"Chief Williams, did you get that?" he asked.

"Loud and clear Optimus, lets pull out some weeds," Ashley primed a grenade and threw it against the wall, blowing off the root attached to it.

The chamber shook as the Thorean roared. Its tentacles latched out at Optimus, grabbing him and slamming him against the wall. Asari clones began crawling around the tentacles, charging biotic attacks in their arms. Rounds suddenly slammed into them, knocking them off of Optimus. Tali stood a short distance from the Autobot leader, firing her pistol to protect him from the Asari monsters. Blackarachnias then crawled onto the ledge she stood on, changing to their spider forms. She turned, firing continuous shots from her pistol, shooting out the eyes of one spider enough to blind it, and sent it stumbling off of the ledge. The second thrust its leg towards Tali, but a shot from her pistol pierced its eye. The pain was enough to divert the spiked legs course, but not enough to protect Tali. It shredded the fabric on her arm, causing her to cry out in pain. The third spider stabbed its wounded comrade in the head, crawling over its body to get to Tali. Optimus looked between the Thorean and the helpless Quarian. Her gun had over heated and she was trying to ward the spider off with a shock from her tool.

Then he looked at his axe, knowing that a throw would be enough to crack the Thorean's head open. But there was no guarantee that all of the spiders and clones would shut down upon its death. He looked at the Quarian again as she crawled back towards a wall. Casting aside his doubt, Optimus threw his axe at the spider, hitting it in the chest and sending it flying away from Tali. He then grabbed the tentacles around him and began pulling, ripping the appendages apart. Optimus lost himself in the savagery, ignoring the Thorean's pained whimpers. It enslaved others and wasn't making any sign of changing, that made in unworthy of mercy or even the life it was living in Optimus's optics. He tore at the tentacles and walked towards the Thorean. As he moved forward, Liara ripped roots off of the walls with her biotics and Ashley blew them off with explosives. Tali got off the floor and took a grenade from her belt. She threw the disc into a nearby root, blowing it off of the wall. The Thorean squealed as if begging for mercy, hanging off of the ceiling of the chamber. Optimus jumped and tackled the monster, his weight tore the rest of the roots away and sent both he and the Thorean plummeting through several platforms in the chamber.

"Prahm are you okay?" Ironhide asked.

"STOP! CALLING! ME! PRIME!" Optimus yelled with every punch he crashed down on the Thorean.

He continued beating the creature, even as it stopped twitching. Optimus placed his foot on the Thorean and held onto its maw. He ripped the creature apart and threw what was left into the chasm below. Optimus looked up at saw that the coordination of the Asari clones had began to fall apart. They were easy pickings for Ashley and Liara. Shepard and her teammates added their own guns to the mix, sending a flurry of rounds flying into the chamber, killing any green skinned Asari or Blackarchnia spider in sight. The Autobot leader began climbing up the platforms until he reached where Tali was.

"Thank you for saving me Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya," he said.

Tali was astounded by how calm Optimus's voice was. One moment he was a savage beast consumed by battle, and the next he was his calm self.

"Likewise Optimus," she said.

They turned to a pod on the wall as it began to pulge. Tali held her pistol at the ready whilst Optimus raised his axe. An Asari in black combat gear suddenly fell out of the pod, yellow ooze had stained her suit and made her blue skin glisten in the light of the flames. She raised her head, examining her surroundings with a bewildered expression. Then her eyes fell on Optimus and Tali and she lowered her gaze in a sudden realisation. They too noted something, that she resembled the tame Asari clones the Thorean had created. Tali put a finger to her helmet, establishing a link with Shepard's team.

"Commander, we've found someone you might want to see," she said.

* * *

><p>Tarantulas had to cackle, the drones he had left behind had given him a good view of the Thorean's demise. He leant back on his chair, tapping his talons together as the servants of the Tripredacus council began prepping the ship for a warp flight. The creatures, standing at eight feet tall with lanky limbs were covered in black armour with turning gears and holographic computers on, Cybertronian and Reaper technology had been grafted over them. Tarantulas couldn't recall what they were called, only that they were a race older than the Protheans.<p>

"The council will be pleased over the results of our little experiment, the Thorean is obsolete, and I've have enough data to perfect project Insecticons," the scientist grinned, looking at the surveillance feed of Optimus.

As the hybrids began to flee the battle and return to their ship, Tarantulas opened a new file on his personal computer. Holographic displays appeared around him, data swirled, constructing an image of Tarantulas's next grand idea.

"The new Prime has inspired a new project," he said.

The data finished creating the image, an armoured being that resembled Optimus. Attached to its right shoulder however was an armoured pad that strangely resembled the head of a lion.

* * *

><p>Fai-Dan and his fellow colonists emerged from their prison with the worst hangovers they had ever had. The Autobots remained at the colony, even as their new enemy began to retreat. They considered themselves lucky, they had beaten back a garrison of troops and protected the colonists. Even though Arcee had taken a hit, everyone was still on line, and Optimus's resolve was stronger than ever. Shepard could see that in the leader's eyes, he carried himself differently as if some of his doubt had been erased. The colonists and the survivors of Exo-Geni looked up at the Autobots in awe and fear. Most thought of the devastating power the Autobots had, but many more thought of how they had saved them.<p>

"Thank you Shepard," Fai-Dan said.

"Thank them, that clearness in your head now is because of a formula Ratchet made, once your water's back online you can spread it throughout the entire colony, the Thorean's influence should be completely purged," Shepard explained.

"Although just to clarify there will be side effects, the link between the minds of the colonists may still exist but it'll hardly be noticeable, if anything it'll improve how well your people work together," Ratchet added.

"We could use every advantage we can find right now, especially since we wont have the help of a major corporation anymore," Fai-Dan said.

"What?" Jeong looked at the man in confusion.

"Everything that happened here, our minds being violated like that was because of your companies experiments, Exo-Geni isn't welcome here anymore, we don't need your help or want it," Fai-Dan and the other colonists looked at Jeong's group with total fury in their eyes.

The corporate man backed away slightly and then looked to the Autobots. Cliff Jumper and Jazz were burning the remaining hybrids in a pile, a pile Ironhide had just added the remains of the Thorean to.

"HEY! That's company property," he said.

"Go in and save it if you like," Ironhide shrugged as he turned away.

"The council will hear of this Shepard."

"They'll approve of my actions here today Jeong (somewhat) what they definitely wont approve of is your company hiding the discovery of an indigenous life form from them and then experimenting on people, people you had the responsibility to take care of, you should consider lucky I'm on an important mission Jeong because I can take your company to a tribunal, do you think your corporate bosses will protect you, no Jeong, the alliance will put what happened here on your company, and they in turn will hold you responsible," Shepard gripped the collar of the man's shirt and glared at him. "So don't try to act tough and threaten me or the people in my command you piece of shit, take whatever evac ship you have and leave before I turn you over to Arcee."

"Whose Arcee?" Jeong asked.

"She's the Autobot who heroically protected the colonists you abandoned, the Autobot who lost her legs to the creatures your experiment created, and she was still fighting before medics dragged her away," Shepard grinned slightly as Jeong stepped back in fear.

The survivors of Exo-Geni began making their way towards the exist. Juliana and Lizbeth however remained, looking at the colonists with pleading expressions in their faces.

"I'm as responsible for what happened as Jeong is, I kind of threw in my resignation when I hit him, please let me stay and undo some of the damage I've done," Lizbeth explained.

Fai-Dan placed his hand on the girl's shoulders and smiled.

"Consider yourself a citizen of Zhu's Hope, we stick together," he said.

Shepard watched the exchange and smiled; confident that Zhu's Hope would be fine. She turned to her teammates, whom all stood with the Autobots. They weren't separate anymore, battle had united them in a way peace and shore leave couldn't.

"What about this Asari?" Jetfire asked.

"Who are you?" Shepard looked down at the Asari, keeping her pistol out for good measure, just in case the Asari would try anything.

"She was the genetic template for the clones the Thorean used," Ratchet said.

"That is correct," the Asari said, looking up at Shepard as she kneeled. "My name is Shiala, I was a servant of Matriarch Benezia, I joined her when she went to Saren," she explained.

"Did my mother come here?" Liara asked.

"No, Matriarch Benezia was on another mission for the Fallen," Shiala said.

"Not Saren?" Shepard asked.

"Benezia joined Saren with the belief that she could guide him down a gentler path. Upon first joining the Spectre however it became truly apparent who was in charge, the one you call the Fallen," the Asari looked up at Optimus, noticing the frown across his eyebrows. "He has become quite angry with your recent successes, but he also fears you for a reason he hasn't fully shared with Saren and Benezia, both equally intrigued they began to pursue paths that may contradict the Fallen's will."

"So they're fighting each other now?" Bumblebee asked.

"No, to a degree they are still loyal to the Fallen's master, they have no choice in the matter really," Shiala said.

"Why not?" Ashley asked.

"The Fallen's vessel, it is a ship of unknown origin and power, when you are aboard it you become…indoctrinated I suppose would be a good term to use, you become loyal to the Fallen's word, you follow his will, almost without question, part of you remains awake knowing what you are doing, yet unable to truly fight it," the Asari explained.

"Except for Saren and Benezia?" Shepard asked.

"No, they too may be indoctrinated, Saren has set up a lab to study the effects of indoctrination, but at the same time he came here to retrieve the Prothean cipher."

"What is the cipher?"

"The means for Protheans to completely rewrite the genetic code of their slave races," Optimus said.

Shepard and her team looked up at Optimus, disturbed by what he was implying. Sensing this however he elaborated, looking at the remains of the Thorean as they burned.

"In order to ensure that their enslaved races understood their language, the Protheans transferred via mental bonds the ciphers. Though a species would still keep its physical appearance and still produce offspring of their species, their genetic code would physically resemble the Protheans, leading to them being able to understand the Prothean language as if it was there own and being compatible with beacons…they said it was evolution but its just another form of enslavement, removing genetic diversity and then replacing the slave species over time with Prothean heirs," he explained.

"You mean that slave races would become sexually compatible with the Protheans, enabling them to have offspring with one another?" Liara asked.

"Yes, physical contact between their own species would be outlawed and pairings would be arranged, whether the partner was a female Prothean or male didn't matter, in a hundred percent of cases the offspring would always come out as pure blood Prothean," Ratchet's disgust with the process was clear as he threw a Thorean tentacle onto the fire.

"I thought they enslaved races," Kaidan said.

"Then wipe them out with sex, the reverse of the Salarian Genophage," Wrex snarled, finding the Prothean process to be an ironic reverse of his people's situation.

"They truly were monsters," Liara gasped.

"Asari however are different, as a Mono-gendered species the cipher would not have the same effect…or at least I hope," Shiala sighed.

"What makes you think you'll just go free?" Ashley asked, flashing her pistol at the Asari.

"I know, after all I have done I have no right, but if you will allow it I would like to help the colonists and reverse some of the damage I have done," she explained.

"Its your choice Shepard, but we do need more information from her," Optimus said.

Shepard knelt down by Shiala and put her pistol back on her hip.

"Tell us where Saren is and you can go," she said.

"I'm afraid I don't know where Saren is going, Benezia knows however, I believe she gave him the location…without the Fallen's consent," Shiala said.

"So there may be hope of my mother fighting the indoctrination?" Liara asked, her eyes bright with a deluded hope.

"Where is Benezia then?" Shepard asked.

"Noveria, what she seeks however I don't know, but if you want to find Saren and deal a blow to the Fallen then you must go there," Shiala said.

Shepard stood and turned away from Shiala.

"We have our next target team, lets go," she said.

Optimus nodded his head and walked with Shepard's team. The other Autobots followed, part of a new unit that Shepard and Optimus jointly led.

"Was it wise for Shiala to go free?" Cliff Jumper asked.

"Do you really think she's free? She'll carry the memories of what she's done forever," Jetfire said, lowering his head as he remembered all of the things he had done in Megatron's command.

He looked up with hope however, proud of the victory he had achieved as part of a new team. A team that was ready to show the galaxy that organics and Cybertronians could work together and accomplish wonders. The word had gone out across the galaxy, the Autobots had saved yet another colony. Even though the Cybertronians were coming to wage war with the Citadel, the organic species of the galaxy had allies that were ready to fight and even die for it.

Next Chapter 15: Divergences

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I kind of changed what the Cipher was, or kind of added details on what it was. It was inspired of course by the Collectors and what Javik said, that all species called themselves Protheans, so I thought what if the Protheans effectively killed off their slave species through selective breeding.<p>

Quick question to fans, other than people who have voiced Optimus in the past who do you think could voice the Autobot leader (one of my first choices was Jason O'Mara, but I also thought of Liam O'Brian, Troy Baker and recently Jamie Glover, he's voiced Thrask in Dragon Age 2 and Darth Malgus in Star Wars the Old Republic) a very good option I thought over all of those is George Newbern, he's certainly used to playing icons like Superman and Sephiroth.

Thundercracker has his first significant piece of dialoque, I imagine him being voiced by Sam Witwer (will be voicing Orm/Ocean Master in the upcoming Justice League Throne of Atlantis movie, played Davis Bloome/Doomsday in Smallville, voiced Darth Maul in the Clone Wars and provided the voice and face of the Force Unleashed Starkiller character, that and he does a hell of an Emperor impression :) I imagined him because Thundercracker will appear as the calm and loyal servant of Megatron, but he has the potential to be more. He'll play a more important role in the future of the series.

Next time Optimus reveals some secrets to Shepard's crew, but just when the bond between the team is at its strongest it is split again, plus the changed team responds to a distress signal and Optimus makes a decision that will have unexpected consequences.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

Hey guys, here it is, possibly my last update before the Christmas chaos hits me. Might not be able to update any stories until after New Year, depends on how much time I get, for now I hope this is enough to keep everybody hooked.

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 15: Divergences

With Feros behind them, the Autobots and Shepard's team began to rest as she and Optimus contacted the council. From their respective ships Optimus and Shepard faced the disapproving looks of the council's holographic forms. Both stood alone, allowing their crew to get some rest whilst they took in whatever outrage the three politicians could muster.

"Exo-Geni should've told us about the Thorian, and the presence of the Cybertronian technology," Tevos said.

"Wasn't there anyway to capture the Thorian, perhaps to study it?" Valern asked.

"With respect councillor I think the only reason someone should study the Thorian is to find a way to kill it," Shepard said.

"The Thorian enslaved others to its will, Exo-Geni also blatantly disregarded the lives of the people they were supposed to protect, I trust their company will be adequately punished," Optimus said.

Shepard could hear the anger in the Autobot's voice. It was something she understood but the council however took it another way.

"Exo-Geni is a company that gives its project heads a limited form of autonomy," Sparatus said.

"Right now they are severing connections to the members of the team that studied the Thorian and the Cybertronian tech, and we have sent a Spectre to track the team down and take them into custody. It's strange however that they weren't able to learn anything from it, it could help us to understand your people greater Commander Optimus," Tevos explained.

"Or it could provide us with valuable weapons data," Valern said.

"Which brings us to our other topic of interest," Sparatus's hologram turned to Optimus. "Weapons, if these Decepticons you spoke of truly are coming then we will need weapons to fight them, you provide us with history and societal data yet you keep your weapon advancements to yourself, how can you truly claim to be our allies if you do not share everything?" the Turian asked.

Optimus narrowed his optics and took a step forward.

"I know of your galaxy and the potential its people have to abuse power, providing you with weapons would be against the greater good," he said.

"Who are you to decide that though?" Tevos asked.

"The one who will protect your colonies with his spark, when possible I will protect every species when I can," Optimus said.

"Really? So far you seemed to have favoured humanity," Sparatus huffed.

"As you have favoured them? Or the Volus? The Hanar perhaps? Or maybe even the Quarians? No, there are only three species that matter to you, its understandable when they are your own, yet you claim to represent this galaxy, to act in the best interests of everyone whom lives in it, yet those whom live merely on the edge of Terminus space are abandoned, you hesitate because of the forces of a few hundred pirates and criminals yet the truth is you are simply not willing to take the next step and stop them. When the Quarians were driven from their home world you cast them aside and now refer to them as thieves, scavengers and the lowest of society, because of your inaction and the refusal to let them colonise appropriate worlds they can not feel natural air on their skin and struggle simply to keep their ships moving."

The outrage of the Autobot was clear, as was his message. He had tired of the council's disapproval and would not put up with it anymore. Shepard admired it in a way but it also disturbed her slightly. She had seen anger from Optimus only in battle, whatever he had seen on his trip down memory lane had changed him.

"When the humans made first contact you allowed the Turians to attack them on the basis that they were breaking a law they didn't even know about, years later you allow the Turians to join your council and still deny the humans entrance on the grounds that they have not earned it, what must humanity do to earn it, attack my species? You abandon them to Batarian slavers, worst you allow the Batarian society to still practice slavery, whilst your own does so under prettied up names," he snarled, looking at Tevos, and in turn the Asari in particular. "I will not endorse a council that supposedly represents the galaxy, yet doesn't value every person in it, that hasn't become the council it needs to be, we have carried out the missions and saved lives, the only thing that should matter to you people. You still have to report to them Shepard but I will not, nor will I continue to listen to their ridiculous remarks of disapproval," Optimus immediately cut the line.

Shepard fidgeted slightly, feeling awkward as the council looked at her. Each face read a different story, Sparatus seemed outraged and offended, Valern processed Optimus's speech with the same cold logic most Salarians did and Tevos seemed the most guilty. Asari had facial structures identical to humans, that made them particularly easy for Shepard to read. In Liara she could see the youthful enthusiasm, her feelings of conflict over her mother, her disgust with the Protheans and admiration of the Autobots. Tevos's face told a different story, she was far older than she looked, not as old as Benezia yet her face had an exhaustion that could only be bought on by a longer lifespan than others. She had listened to the faults Optimus pointed out and agreed with them. But she had been part of the political process, she knew what it was to lead a people, to be faced with putting one species over her own. Shepard saw that Tevos was tired and conflicted, but she could also see that she was hiding something. Growing up on the streets where everyone hid an agenda, Shepard had become accustomed to knowing when someone had a secret. Both Tevos and Optimus has secrets, the only difference was Optimus was beginning to understand his. Though Optimus never revealed his nose or mouth (or the equivalent in Cybertronian physiology) she could tell from his eyes alone the emotions that came from him.

"Oh, looks like we have some problems with the Comm. Joker…" Shepard said, waiting for Joker to do what she hoped he would do.

"Communications cut Commander, good way to avoid an awkward conversation," the pilot said.

"Now we've got an even more awkward conversation coming up, our next move, call the ground crew up now," Shepard said.

A few minutes passed and the crew of both ships assembled. Each member of the ground team sat in the briefing room, whilst the Autobots, even the wounded were represented by holograms. Optimus had his crew meet in the medical bay, Ratchet continued to make adjustments to the patchwork parts he placed over Arcee even as the meeting carried on.

"I'd like to start the meeting by saying thank you for the help Optimus, I don't think the colony would have survived without your crews help," Shepard said.

"Cogging right it wouldn't have," Cliff Jumper said, an elbow to his chest, courtesy of Bumblebee, rewarded his snide remark.

"What's the next move then?" Ashley asked.

"I'd recommend Noveria commander, if Shiala's information is right then it'll give us a chance to, best case scenario capture Benezia," Garrus said.

"Capturing Saren's…what can we call her? Second in command? That might deal a blow to their plans," Kaidan agreed.

"I think at this point we can safely assume that only Saren is of real value to the Fallen," Tali said.

"Wrong, with Saren acting on his own the Fallen will be relying on moth…Benezia more than ever," Liara said.

"Noveria is the most logical course but we still need to analyse whatever information Optimus had recovered. It could have significant relevance to both the Fallen and this other faction that attacked the colony," Ratchet explained.

"There's another thing, those hybrids definitely weren't on the Geth's side, which probably means they're not on the Fallen's side," Wrex said.

"Wouldn't that make them potential allies?" Bumblebee asked.

"The enemy of your enemy isn't always your friend," the Krogan said.

"But its clear they've carried out experiments into unnatural fields, biosynthetic fusion, I'm aware of the theory but to see it in practice and so extensive too."

"Tali has a point, they seem like those techno cults in the traverse or just near the edge of the veil," Garrus said.

"I don't know what they are but it's clear that they are a threat that can't be ignored, and with the council offering very little in terms of help we may need something to fall back on if our efforts fail," Optimus explained.

"As big as the fleet protecting the Citadel is I don't think it would be able to withstand both a Geth and Decepticon assault, even if it does become a free for all, we need something besides the alliance to turn the tide," Shepard looked at Optimus as she spoke, her expectations were clear.

The Autobot leader turned his back to his men and touched his chest. He knew the legends behind the matrix, that it contained some kind of power. Leaders typically said that it contained the collective knowledge of all the great leaders that had come before, some interpreted that as memory data, others believed something more mystical. For thought Cybertronians were at their core a race whom valued logic, they also had legends of their own. Optimus looked over his men, battered and defeated. He knew he needed to do more for them than just inspire, if he was to truly be a good leader he would need to value their lives.

"We are out of our depth, Megatron will eventually summon a fleet to destroy the Citadel, when that happens we will need an army capable of matching him. I believe we know where we can find such an army," he explained.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes, half of the group goes back to Cybertronian space and alerts Ultra Magnus or Cerebros of the situation, once they know of how bad things are in this galaxy then they will send a force to help fight the Decepticons. Whoever goes will take data I managed to find from my hidden memories," Optimus tapped the side of his helmet and created a holographic map.

Each location shocked the members of the crew, both organic and Cybertronian. The map was displayed in the Normandy's briefing room much like the galaxy map on the bridge. Shepard walked through the map, looking at its structure in awe. It had made the galaxy seem so small to her. Liara cast her eyes to each location and gasped.

"Feros, Therum, Noveria, Ontarom, Ekuna, Virmire and no that can't be right...Thessia," the Asari backed away from the image of her planet.

"Wait, why is Tuchanka on here?" Wrex asked.

"And that's Rannoch my home world," Tali said.

Shepard looked at one highlighted planet closely. She wrapped a fist around it, removing it from the display to look at it more closely.

"Its labelled Terra, but this looks a lot like Earth," she said.

"That's because Terra is what we called Earth before organic life had fully evolved there, all of the planets you are seeing are places where survey teams from Cybertron had gone. In truth, we are not the first Cybertronians to visit this galaxy, we've been visiting your galaxy since the time of the Protheans and perhaps during the Reapers cycle, Sentinel Prime took such a survey team," Optimus explained.

"Whatever happened to Sentinel Prime?" Tali asked.

"We don't know, he just disappeared when the fighting between our two groups reached its peak, Rodimus had been hoping to locate him believing he would have found a way to restore our home planet, but there was something he didn't tell the rest of the crew, that he wanted Sentinel to unlock whatever power was hidden inside the matrix."

"What is the matrix? I know you said it was some kind of artefact passed down by your leaders but what exactly is it?" Shepard asked.

"We have many names for the matrix, the grand database, the light, container of wisdom, it has typically been called the matrix of leadership. We have a legend amongst our people, that once during the time of Primus a great calamity came down upon Cybertron, the closest translation to its name is 'chaos bringer', a force so powerful that it could drive hatred into the minds of entire civilisations, the population of a planet would destroy itself before the chaos bringer consumed it."

"Wow, this thing eats planets, I've got to get a picture of that," Wrex said.

"This is a legend, it's likely that this chaos bringer was simply a metaphor for civil collapse, a way to explain why our people do not colonise other worlds," Ratchet said.

"It was said that the chaos bringer began casting its shadow over Cybertron, Primus however composed a means to drive away this force, pure wisdom. By placing the wisdom within his spark into a containment device, along with the essence of other wise leaders, Primus created the first matrix and the most essential matrix of our society, the matrix of wisdom, later renamed the matrix of leadership."

"But how does the story end Optimus?" Liara asked.

"And was there more than one matrix?" Shepard asked.

"The term matrix was later applied to several tools of my people, including the rebirth matrix, the combination matrix and the creation matrix. Some Cybertronians even use the term matrix to refer to a higher power, the matrix of leadership however is said to be the key to destroying chaos with wisdom. However there is another aspect of the legend that to this day puzzles even the most advanced scholar, a prophecy that the power of the matrix could only be unlocked by someone worthy enough to wield its power."

"A chosen one, sounds a bit too biblical for a species of synthetics," Ashley said.

"Indeed, but Rodimus still found value in such legends," Optimus said.

"But where is the matrix?" Bumblebee asked.

Optimus lowered his head and sighed.

"There's no need to hide it any longer Bee, Shepard, Rodimus has been chasing me because I have the matrix now," he said.

He opened his chest and revealed the artefact. Even as a hologram it generated a light that was almost captivating to the organics. Optimus removed the orange sphere, holding it by its handles. He gave the matrix to Bumblebee, causing the young Autobot to widen his eyes.

"Arcee and Blaster are wounded, it would be foolish to keep fighting with them in that condition, that and Rodimus will continue to pursue me solely because of what I amcarrying. I am sorry for the deception Shepard, but it was necessary to keep it from your people until I had determined just how grand this possible Reaper invasion was," Optimus explained.

"You knew what the Decepticons were after all this time and you didn't tell us?" Ashley asked.

"Would it have changed anything if we knew?" Kaiden asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The Decepticons are going to try and kill us regardless of what Optimus has," the biotic said.

"He's right," Shepard sighed. "It was information we didn't need to know, Optimus was making the best kind of decision he could, after all organics haven't exactly proven themselves trust worthy to synthetics. The fact that they kept fighting for us should be proof enough that they have our best interests at heart," she explained.

"I agree, and Optimus is being honest with us now even though he doesn't have to be," Liara said.

"So you're breaking up the team?" Cliff Jumper asked.

"Don't do that on my account Optimus," Arcee snarled.

"This isn't about you or Blaster, I dragged all of you into this, you didn't have to go against Ultra Magnus when I joined Rodimus and you didn't have to betray Rodimus either. Even when we lost Cup you continued to follow me, even when we lost our ship you continued to follow, I cannot order any of you to go further. Go back to Magnus and tell him what is happening here, consider any debt or obligation you owe me fulfilled," Optimus explained.

Bumblebee dropped the matrix and frowned at his leader.

"Debt? Obligation? Boss do you think we follow you because we owe you, or because of some duty? Or some relic or badge?" he asked as he kicked the matrix aside.

Jazz stood up and nodded his head in agreement. Ironhide grabbed Optimus's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

"We would give our sparks for you boss, because we know you would do the same for us," Bumblebee said.

"Ah know you don't like being called it, but you're the Prahm worth following," Ironhide grinned as Optimus looked at him.

"I can still work on the ship Optimus, you've led us this far don't back down now," Arcee said.

"I think I speak for Blaster and Ratchet too when I say we're with you until the end," Jazz chuckled as Ratchet glared at him.

"A disgustingly warm moment, you see what you inspire Optimus?" Sky Lynx asked.

"Great, even the ship is agreeing, then I suppose I'm with you too boss bot," Cliff Jumper said.

Optimus raised his head in pride. But inside his spark he felt ashamed. His men told him he was an inspiring figure worth giving their sparks for, but his memories told a different story. All he could think about was how he had attacked the council of Primes, that he may be the one responsible for their disappearances. But at the same time he was driven by the sense of responsibility. He had started a fight with the Fallen and in turn the Reapers, and he had a responsibility to see that fight through until the end. Carrying the respect and expectations of his men he picked up the matrix and gave it to Bumblebee.

"Go to Ultra Magnus and tell him of what is happening here, give him the matrix Bumblebee, this is the order I am giving each of you," he said, gripping the back of Bee's head firmly.

The young Autobot could tell that his leader was giving him a grand responsibility.

"Take Arcee and Blaster and get them fully repaired, Jetfire, Jazz, Cliff Jumper, you three go with him," Optimus commanded.

"I suppose that means I'm going too right? I am more than just a ship you know, and Ultra Magnus won't exactly be happy to see the 'grand Energon thief'," Sky Lynx explained.

"Then I suppose we should pray that we find the fortress instead of Omega Supreme," Cliff Jumper chuckled.

"Wait, so we're at the best we've ever been and you're just splitting us up?" Wrex asked.

"Tactically speaking it's a good idea, and only three Autobots would be able to fit in the Normandy's garage," Garrus said.

"It makes sense, and considering where we're going next we're going to need a little tact, Sky Lynx isn't exactly stealthy," Shepard said.

"Oh thanks!"

"Wait, I would like to go with Bumblebee and the others," Tali said.

"Are you sure about this, what about your pilgrimage?" Ashley asked.

"What better gift can I give my people than a better understanding of a synthetic species, a species capable of making peace with us? Besides if you give me what data you have on the Reapers I can represent our galaxy in presenting this data to your leaders," Tali explained.

"I like her enthusiasm boss bot, and I'm sure if something bad happens Bee will protect her," Cliff Jumper grinned at the yellow scout.

"I don't know, Tali's grenades pack a punch, I think she'll be able to handle herself," Bumblebee smiled.

"Very well, you're all to go straight to Cybertronian space, do not stop for anything," Optimus said.

"Fine," Bumblebee sighed.

The Normandy and Sky Lynx lined up and went through the task of transferring crew members. The garage was cleared, with Ashley and Shepard standing either side. Both wore their breathing helmets and had the magnets on their boots active. They ushered in the Autobot additions like one would aircraft. Optimus opened the palm of his hand and Tali calmly stepped onto it, something she wouldn't have done a few days ago. Whilst the Autobot leader began transferring the Quarian, Sparkplug and a few of the other Minicons transferred scanning and weapons equipment to the garage. Watching the small robots hit each other and squabble reminded Shepard of one of her favourite films.

"They're like little minions," she said to herself.

"I needed that," Ratchet groaned at the robots, as one of the scanners they carried smashed against the wall.

Optimus gently gave Tali to Bumblebee and saluted the scout before he transferred to the Normandy.

"Well good luck out there you guys, and Sky Lynx don't get scrapped we still need to prove which ships is better, my baby or you," Joker said.

"Really Joker there's no contest, sapience beats computers every time," Sky Lynx grinned as he flew away.

Despite the reduction of their crew, the Normandy was still operating at its peak. The presence of the Minicons whilst disturbing to some improved the overall performance of the crew. They worked as part of the crew, taking shifts at scanners and working in the more dangerous areas of the engines. Shepard walked around the ship, seeing in CIC a grey and white Minicon by the name of High Wire working communications.

"Doctor T'Soni, there is a communication from a Doctor Nuwani, she wanted your opinion on a Prothean dig," the little Autobot had a calm voice, and seemed to be the peaceful soul of the Minicons.

Others seemed intent on either doing their jobs or bickering. An orange Minicon called Sureshock always seemed to be at odds with a blue Minicon called Jolt. The little bots bickered in their beeping language, until Sparkplug broke them up.

"What are they arguing about?" Shepard asked a nearby bot.

"There's a problem with the wiring, the chances of crew getting electrocuted are high so Engineer Adams asked one of us to do it, except Jolt and Sureshock always want to work with electricity," the bot explained.

"That kind of makes sense," Shepard muttered.

"Commander, Lowe picked up something on the long range scanners, seems like a distress signal," Joker said.

"All right Joker, call Liara and Kaiden to the garage," Shepard said.

Shepard quickly went to her locker and began putting on her armour. Keeping with the plan she prepared for missions, Shepard had Joker send details to the Omni-tools of those going. She checked those details and found that the Normandy was heading into the Sparta system. Optimus received the details as well and transformed into his truck form with Ratchet joining him.

"We've picked up a distress signal on the planet Edolus, it matches an M29 Grizzly used by a marine detachment reported missing by Admiral Kahoku," Shepard explained as Liara and Kaiden dressed into their armour.

"What where they doing in the Artemis Tau cluster?" Kaiden asked.

"I'll be sure to ask the admiral when we see him, Ratchet there may be people in need of medical attention down there," Shepard said to the medic.

"So you plan on using me as both doctor and transport," Ratchet said.

"You do have the advantage of turning into a truck Ratchet."

"As always human logic is superior," Ratchet huffed as he transformed.

'How is it Ratchet can be both the Autobot you can count on the most and the biggest dick at the same time?' Shepard wondered.

She climbed into the front passenger seat, unused to the idea of finding no wheel. Kaiden and Liara both climbed into the back, the latter synching her omni-tool to monitor the distress beacon. The Normandy swooped over Edolus, opening its cargo hatch. Ratchet drove off of the ramp, activating the thrusters on the belly of his truck form. They slowed his fall just enough to make a smooth landing on the surface of the desert. He drove up a hill, getting a good view of the desolate landscape, a place that probably only supported life underneath the surface of the sand.

"That's where the signal is coming from," Liara said.

Ratchet drove towards the ruined of a Grizzly, the tank like vehicle had been rolled onto its side, scorch marks decorated its armour and the cargo area had been ripped open. The ground team put their helmets on and exited the van. Ratchet transformed and stood over the Grizzly, his eyes scanning it.

"These marks were not caused by rounds," he said.

Shepard looked at the marks on the surface of the armour. The damage was smooth, there had been no force behind the projectile, yet it burnt at the armour like a tank round. She climbed on top of the Grizzly and looked inside, she widened her eyes slightly at the sight before her, there was nothing, no bodies or remains. The patterns within the Grizzly matched the outside, something, possibly an acid had dripped into the vehicle and melted what was inside. Ratchet walked around the Grizzly and down the hill. He noticed several more Grizzly's and what looked like a beacon, but it had been shut down.

"Commander, there is more to this than it seems," the medic said.

"Don't need to be a genius to figure that out," Shepard said as she jumped off of the Grizzly.

She pulled out her sniper rifle and looked through the scope, analysing the distress beacon that had lured the marines into a choke point. The beacon, a civilian model for long range signalling had been placed between four hills that effectively surrounded the area. The marines however had managed to damage the beacon, thus preventing others from being lured into the trap, or so one would think. If their aim had been to stop others from being lured into whatever was killing them, the marines wouldn't have bothered with letting out their own distress signal, unless fear overcame them. Shepard knew Kahoku and the men under his command, they were competent and well trained but she had seen what happened to competent and well trained men when fear had gripped them. Akuze had been a terrifying experience, so much so that Shepard had seen men that had been strong through basic break down, crying and praying in some cases.

"Why does this remind me of it?" she wondered.

"What was that commander?" Kaiden asked.

"This situation and all of the circumstances reminds me so much of that mission, the mission people remember me for. A group of marines respond to a distress signal, they're ambushed, it all seems so strange at the time yet there's still clear evidence that it was orchestrated by human, or I suppose sapient hands," Shepard explained.

"A trap can only be set by a hunter, and local wildlife cant access technology, why did they not investigate Akuze further?" Ratchet asked.

"Above my pay grade, besides I was busy recovering in a hospital, then I get bigger and more important missions, or at least more important in the eyes of the people giving them. If there's been any progress on the investigation I haven't been told."

"Wait Akuze, what happened at Akuze?" Liara asked.

"Shepard's unit was drawn into a Thresher Maw nest, she was the only survivor," Ratchet said.

"Tactfully put," Kaiden muttered.

"Would you prefer I tiptoe around the subject? Look to Shepard for approval? Or perhaps I could tell her a grand story, like the exact time it took for Shepard's unit to land on the planet and get eaten and melted by gigantic worms that burst out of the ground and produce acid capable of burning through armour. If you want to know more Liara you can have a heart to heart talk with Shepard in your cabin or do what anyone can do, type in Shepard on the Extranet and the first thing that will come up is 'Shepard, sole survivor of Akuze', there's no big mystery, what happened isn't Shepard's secret to keep, the whole galaxy knows about it, some people may think it was suspicious but in the end they aren't doing about it."

"I can't tell whether you're being sincere, joking or an asshole," Kaiden said.

"It's a bit of both when it comes to Ratchet he has a dry sense of humour, and he was voted least popular of the crew next to Prowl," Ironhide said over the radio.

Ratchet huffed as Ironhide chuckled.

"What do you mean they aren't doing anything about it?" Liara asked.

"The investigation, if they knew anything they would tell the galaxy, but they don't, because based on my experience people don't care what's going on behind the scenes," Ratchet said.

"That's a very pessimistic way of looking at organics," Shepard said.

"I'm not just referring to organics commander, the same thing applies to Cybertronians, so long as they are safe the people don't care about what really happened to a bunch of warriors who defended Iacon, they don't care what really happened to the council of primes because they were not safe when they were ruling, just as no one will care if your council dies or what happens to the soldiers that die protecting them. They won't care about the Reapers, even if we tell them they exist because deep down inside they know they exist, they see the patterns that had formed throughout every cycle and they deny it, 'no it can't be true, it's impossible, you're delusional,' these are things they will say because the truth frightens them. They'd rather live in ignorance than know the truth," Ratchet explained.

Optimus was also listening to Ratchet's rant and wondered two things, if the medic knew more than he let on or if the truth even mattered. He wondered if it mattered to his men, that he was a traitor who possibly attacked the old council. He wondered if anyone would truly do anything about the Reapers if they were faced with enough evidence, or if the people would deny it just to deny themselves the hurtful truth, that every advancement their societies have made have been the plans of beings wanting to kill them.

'Are sapient beings really that shallow, to not care about anything so long as their own peace isn't threatened?' Optimus wondered.

"You know, I'm at peace with what happened at Akuze Ratchet, despite what others might assume. I carry what happened with me, just like others have to carry their own burdens, these burdens can make us stronger and define us in ways others can't imagine. What you call not caring is society moving on, there's a saying 'you can't let the terrorists win' a long time ago in human history and even still today people performed despicable acts, they made different claims to their motivations but the truth as that is was terrorism, spreading fear through threats and violence in order to keep people from truly living. So I think it's good that people can know about the Reapers but still go about their daily lives, because it shows that we are not being ruled through fear, that we are 'not letting the terrorists win'. We all care, I care these soldiers who have died, their families care but we don't all have the strength to do something about it," Shepard explained.

"People saying they are not strong enough to do something is merely an excuse for them not doing it, sapient will, determination I've seen firsthand that its strong enough to overcome any obstacle," Ratchet said.

Shepard crossed her arms together, looking up at Ratchet with a smile.

"I get it know Ratchet, for all your cold logic you're a closet idealist," she said.

"What? No I...insufferable organics and their smug confidence," the medic muttered.

Ratchet kicked a bit of the sand and walked away from the Grizzly. He looked at the ground, scanning the grains of dirt and underneath it. The medic crouched down and put his ear to the ground. His optics grew wide as he felt a rumble in the sand.

"GET CLEAR NOW!" he yelled, picking both the organics up and jumping.

As he dived, a creature burst out of the ground. Shepard widened her eyes in horror. She remembered what Thresher Maws looked like, their yellow skin, their massive faces and the pronged spikes attached to their cheeks. The Maw was different however, it's had metallic parts on its eyes and what was its forehead had been replaced with a metallic pylon buried into its skull. Ratchet rolled with the ground team in his hands, dodging a bullet of acid that melted the sand. He placed the trio on the ground and raised his arm, plates of alloy slid out of his wrist, rotating and forming a disc shape, a shield that blocked the acid projectiles. The shield however began to melt from the maw's acid.

"I needed that," Ratchet growled.

He ejected the shield and raised his rifle. The maw however had gone underground and Ratchet imagined it burrowing into a better position.

"A Thresher maw, well that's something you don't see on every planet," Joker said.

"A Prothy mount, HA they were cannon fodder during the war," Ironhide said.

"Prothy mount? Wait are you saying Protheans rode Thresher maws?" Liara asked.

"There's a thought," Shepard muttered.

"Are you okay Shepard?" Kaiden asked.

"Yeah, just having difficulty imagining anyone riding one of those things," she smiled reassuringly.

"They were a lot smaller," Ratchet said.

The medic clipped his rifle to his waist and slid his knife blades out. He waited and braced himself, keeping all of his sensors locked on the ground, preparing for the creature's inevitable attack.

"Not only has this creature evolved, buts it's been modified somehow, we need to find out exactly how," Ratchet grinned as the sand in front of him shifted.

It sunk as the creature appeared, throwing itself towards Ratchet. The medic stabbed the sides of the creature's face and then slammed it into the ground. He pulled his right blade out and cleaved through the creatures tail. Acid leaked onto the sand and the medic backed away, leaving the creature wiggling against the floor. This wasn't for long however as Ratchet slid his left blade through the maw's stomach, then ejected the blade, pinning the creature to the sand.

"Incredible, to dispatch a Thresher Maw so quickly," Liara said.

"It helps when you're pretty much half its size and armed with unbreakable blades," Shepard said.

She had a satisfied look underneath her helmet. Seeing the dead Thresher maw made her happy, like she had gained a form of revenge. Ratchet crouched over the beast and began examining the tech on its head. He cut around the flesh like a butcher cutting away fat, peeling away what he wanted to look at. Cables attached to the tech had merged with the creature's nervous system.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Liara asked.

"You won't understand this technology, its Cybertronian," Ratchet said.

"So this thing is a hybrid like those creatures on Feros?" Shepard asked.

"It's a more crude attempt to make a hybrid, indicating that the people were amateurs, now let me get back to work," Ratchet said.

"Let her help Ratchet," Optimus said over the radio. "She can learn more about our tech and she can offer a fresh insight."

"Fresh insight," the medic huffed as he placed the device on the ground.

Liara activated her Omni-tool and began scanning the device.

"This is predominantly Cybertronian technology but there are traces of element zero in it," she said.

"I...didn't spot that," Ratchet frowned as he heard Ironhide laugh over the channel.

"Wait so this thing was altered with both Cybertronian and our own technology?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, the Cybertronian technology was implanted within its brain and additional pieces of machinery were added, what exactly is this device?" Liara asked.

"It's a processor, but its either damaged or cannibalised, thus explaining the additional pieces added to it, either someone was looking to make up for the damage or was just testing what the fusion of the two technologies would do," Ratchet explained.

"Yes I see, this is a recording device, and this chip is a program carrying commands," Liara said.

"Someone altered this creature's brain not only to turn it into a recording device..."

"But to also control its actions, to give it programs like a drone," Liara finished the medic's hypothesis.

Ratchet looked at the Asari for a moment and huffed.

"It's all obvious once you know the technology," he dismissed her intellect and picked up the processor.

"I destroyed the beacon commander, no more people will be falling into this trap, not that there's anything here to kill them anymore," Kaiden said.

The Normandy landed and opened its cargo hatch. Once the ground team was in the ship Ratchet dropped the device on the ground. Ironhide took a single look at it before squashing it with his foot.

"IRONHIDE I NEEDED THAT!" Ratchet yelled.

"You needed the camera? Or..." the weapons expert crouched on the ground and removed a circuit board from the wreckage, holding it between his fingers. "Or this transmitter, which was sending data from one point to another, give this to the Minicons and we'll be able to track down who was trapping those poor marines, what? You didn't think Ah was all cannons and no processor did you?"

Ratchet shook his head as Ironhide grinned.

"We could use this to track those responsible for this, or we could go on to Noveria, you're the spectre here Shepard," Optimus said.

"In hindsight it probably would have been better to keep the others with us, I would like to see this through but our priority would have to be the Saren case," Shepard explained.

"Shepard if I may, someone is abusing Cybertronian technology, either ExoGeni has teams in other places or someone else is trying to use our power. Noveria is a real issue but so far the Fallen hasn't been led by haste in his plans, these scientists will be different in that regard. This isn't something we can just choose to ignore, if we do its likely they'll keep doing this until more marines die or worse. Right now we don't know what Benezia is looking for on Noveria, but we have clear Intel on what's going on here and the consequences, but it is still your ship Shepard," Optimus explained.

Shepard put a hand to her chin, thinking over her options. Optimus had put forward a good case, they knew more about the abuse of Cybertronian tech than they did about Noveria. That and she didn't want to waste time the people who killed her fellow marines could use to cover their tracks. She also couldn't shake away her suspicious that somehow what she had seen on Edolus was connected to Akuze, the similarities were too much to ignore.

"We'll follow your lead Optimus Prime," she said.

Ironhide slapped Optimus's shoulder and smiled.

"You see Prahm, even organics think you're the best for the job," he said.

Optimus turned away from the weapons specialist and nodded a thank you to Shepard. He acknowledged that there was more to his past than met the eye, but he also acknowledged that he was in a situation now where he could do good. It wouldn't make up for whatever bad he had done. It didn't make him worthy of being a prime but it was a step in the right direction, a direction where he could save lives and prevent disaster. He only hoped the rest of his crew was safe.

Next Chapter 16: Pursuit

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><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, so another big major change (besides giant robots) to Mass Effect is Shepard following up on what happened on Edolus and not telling Admiral Kahoku straight away, the group responsible will (obviously) play a big role in events taking place in the next part of the series. Next time Bumblebee and the other Autobots begin making their way to Cybertron space, only something else is pursuing them. Likewise as the Normandy begins tracking down those responsible for Edolus they find they are also being pursued, except their hunters aren't with the Reapers or the Decepticons.<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers or Mass Effect

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><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 16: Pursuit

Bumblebee had been staring at the matrix since Sky Lynx had left the system. Optimus had trusted him with it, even though Jazz was the senior officer and Jetfire had proven his loyalty to the cause. The scout smiled at the thought that Optimus depended on him more than his second in command. For Tali it was like seeing an aspect of Cybertronian culture she hadn't thought existed. Looking at the face of the Autobot, Tali could see what she often felt on her face, and saw in the body language of others like her. Being a Quarian, confined to a suit for the majority of your walking moments made one good at reading body language without even looking at the face. The way Bumblebee would always rush to aid Optimus or impress him, and the look of happiness whenever his objective had been achieved reminded Tali of someone trying to please their idol. She had an idol in her father, for as long as she could remember Tali had always tried to please him. He wasn't an emotional man, he was a man of science first, or so Tali felt. She never heard her father tell her how proud he was of her, and that was something she yearned for.

"I notice it isn't glowing anymore," she said.

Bumblebee looked down at the Quarian and smiled.

"I've been waiting for someone to point that out, maybe it shines whenever it's in the hands of someone worthy," he said.

"You idolise Optimus don't you?" Tali asked.

"On our world the word Optimus has two meanings, the first is 'one whom sees good'," Bumblebee sat down, lowering his height just a little bit for Tali to get a better look at the matrix.

"That seems to fit Optimus very well," the Quarian said, chuckling slightly at just how much the name matched the transformer.

"Yeah, but the second meaning isn't as widely known, not even Optimus knows that his name also means 'one whom embodies good', it's an ancient Cybertronian term that was forgotten during the days of the caste system. The closest galactic translation is 'hero', it was a term we abandoned because it was inconvenient, hope and wisdom wouldn't keep our society going, or so the old council thought. In truth the old council's rule was so unreliable that people didn't really care what happened to them, grief just became a common part of our everyday life," Bumblebee explained.

"Survival becomes all that matters, even if you have to cut yourselves off."

"Yeah, that is probably the best way to describe our mind set back then."

Tali lowered her head slightly, she had judged the Cybertronians harshly before. But more and more they turned out to have more in common with organic species, including her own people.

'The world doesn't owe us anything, and we don't owe them, the fleet is what matters,' she remembered her father telling her once.

The Geth was a fleet matter, that's why Tali stayed. Or that was at least the reason she was willing to give her father for his approval.

"But then we saw him," Bumblebee said, as if drifting into a dream. "Megatron became the deepest fear of the Protheans, but Optimus, then Orion became our hope. You should of seen him in the battlefield Tali, smashing through lines of Prothean forces with his axe, only running away to get non-combatants and wounded to safety. It was during my first battle that I was assigned to scout out Prothean forces in Lexor, one of the smaller cities of Cybertron known for its streams of liquefied energon. I managed to locate the Prothean forces but they saw me too and quickly surrounded me."

"I was able to disable their communications array and sent out a communication to the Autobot elite guard forces. At the time I believed that they would alter their course and avoid Lexor, pass it off as a lost cause, the Prothean forces were too many after all. I focused mainly on dying a good death, dragging as many of the scrappers to the pit with me as I could. But then Optimus, or rather Orion as he was back then came. He drove right over several Prothean troops and then transformed, yelling at me to get to cover. Optimus acted as a decoy so that Ratchet could get me out of there, much to Rodimus's surprise Optimus returned carrying two Autobot POW's with him, it turned out that Lexor had been converted into a prison camp for Autobots to mine Energon for the Protheans. There were two prisoners left, Optimus chose to detonate the Energon, destroy the Prothean army and save the two prisoners, Wheeljack and Perceptor later became the most important scientists in the army."

"Optimus later found me and said he admired my courage, but he chided me for being so eager to die, he said 'if you've going to give your spark for something make sure it's something that matters' when he was demoted and given a small ship he recruited me as a scout, so I must have made some impression," Bumblebee smiled as he finished his story.

It was clear to Tali that Bumblebee was just like her, and in turn Cybertron 'children' were just like organic children. Bumblebee wanted Optimus's respect and approval more than any other Autobot. He wanted to be every bit the hero his commander was. It was more than just a fan living up to an idol, or a soldier pleasing a commander. Arcee hinted that there was a semi-biological relationship with some Autobots, she even admitted that the deceased veteran Cup was at least biologically (or perhaps spiritually, Tali theorised that mechanics and literal spirits were what represented Cybertronian biology) her father. But Tali never saw a daughter grieving her father in Arcee. In Bumblebee she saw a son looking up to his father. She concluded that Cybertronians were capable of forging family bonds, just like team Prime had.

"That reminds me of my father," Tali said, shocking herself slightly.

She didn't expect to suddenly mention her father. It became apparent to her that she was getting more comfortable with the Autobots.

"Yeah, what is your family like Tali, I bet they're as good mechanics as you are," Bumblebee said.

"Being good with machines is a necessity for Quarians, most have an understanding of machines like mine although according to father there are some who don't, I remember him telling me about a Quarian called Kal, he was from a distinguished family of marines, he bought back a manual on Turian gun fighting techniques...not quite the pilgrimage gift people hoped for," Tali explained.

"What about your mother?" Bee asked.

"She was around, but she always seemed to be in father's shadow, not by his intention of course and it never seemed to bother her. A sickness passed through our ship, it happens occasionally, mother was one of the unlucky few to not recover. After that father started working more and more, reclaiming the home world became his sole purpose within the fleet."

"Reclaiming? That's a little harsh isn't it? I mean the Geth are a part of that world too now," Bee said.

Tali looked at the scout, her eyes narrowed in outrage over what he said.

"The Geth took our home world, drove us away, now they want to wipe us out, why else go after the Reapers?" Tali asked.

"Maybe, but the Geth are basically a hive mind right, billions of programs forming millions of solutions and then reaching collective consensus, the problem with that is that programs will disagree and be split in which solution to pick," Bee explained.

"That isn't how it works Bumblebee," Tali said.

Bumblebee inserted the matrix into his chest and stood up.

"Thousands of years have passed since the Quarians tried to exterminate the Quarians, I'm pretty sure the Geth have evolved since then, not to say the Quarians haven't changed at all," the scout raised his hands defensively as Tali stood up.

"We were reacting the best way we could, once it was clear that the Geth had become AI's we did what we had to do to keep our people safe, both from possible rebellion and an unjust punishment from the council," Tali explained.

"How did that work out for you?" Arcee asked, still lying on the operating table.

"We all know how it worked out," Jetfire said as he walked into the room.

Tali looked up at the former seeker as he walked over and checked the monitors for Blaster's condition. The communications officer was still in stasis and there was no guarantee that he would ever wake up, just as there was no guarantee that he would ever transform again. Jetfire looked down at Tali and she stepped back slightly, touching a grenade she kept close. She still didn't completely trust him, he had openly admitted to being a Decepticon once and had altered his loyalties quite quickly. She accepted that the allegiance of a Cybertronian was never programmed, that it was a choice and that some were fickle in their loyalties. Jetfire crouched so that he would be a little bit closer to Tali's view.

"Programs work more like living things that you think Tali, some Geth have probably come to a different conclusion regarding how to approach the rest of the galaxy, just as I'm sure there were Quarians who disagreed with the Geth purge," Jetfire explained.

"No, it was a planet wide decree for all Quarians to eliminate their Geth servants," Tali said.

"Then why didn't they succeed?" Jetfire asked as he stood up.

He walked across the room, leaning his hand against the wall. It seemed like a very human thing to do, to rub your brow out of frustration, which was exactly what Jetfire was doing.

"I read of a moment in human history, a moment very similar to the Quarian purge of the Geth. It was during the 1930's towards the end of what the humans called the second world war (a fitting name) that Germany, a country within..."

"I know about human countries, Quarians had a similar system of split governments," Tali said.

"The benefits of planets that have oceans I suppose, anyway I'm digressing, in Germany a new leader had been bought into power, he brought the country out of economic ruin and things seemed good for a while. Then he began acting aggressively towards neighbours, pushing Germany into a path of war and conquest, but that wasn't the worst of it. He was convinced that there was a conspiracy within his countries Jewish community...or he was probably insane..."

"It was insane Jetfire, I've read about it, it sounds exactly like what the Protheans were going to do to us and were doing to other species," Arcee said.

"To take people from their homes, gather them all up and separate them from the rest of the country," Tali could see the horror in Bumblebee's eyes as he spoke.

"It only got worse as the years went by," Jetfire continued, walking between Arcee and Bumblebee, probably to keep Tali's attention on him. "In time task forces were made, orders were given and people were gathered, a purge of the Jewish community had begun. Across the country people began giving in to the belief that the Jews were inferior to them or were responsible in some way for their troubles, it became law for people to turn in their neighbours. It was like that across the world too, anywhere the armed forces went they murdered and buried massive amounts of people, and it wasn't just Jews, people who chose to love someone of the same sex, people who didn't accept the Nazi ideology even people who were deemed of no use to the new regime. In time the whole world was against the 'new regime' but the purge against the Jews was still going on. They locked them up in camps, dehumanised them in every way possible, experimented on them, gassed them. It was horrible and disgusting, but not the whole country agreed with it...if they did there wouldn't be anything left of Jewish culture."

"There were people, ordinary people who said 'no,' as their time became history they were named the righteous of the nations and they were never forgotten. Rich men and women, ordinary citizens, even soldiers within the German army seeking no profit helped others, they disagreed with what their government had declared. I don't think the entire Quarian race is as ignorant to say 'yes' to an order to wipe out an entire new species, some people aren't guided by hate or fear, just like humanity and just like the Cybertronians."

Another thing was made clear to Tali, that Jetfire respected these 'righteous of the nations' and wanted to be just like them.

* * *

><p>Ashley Williams looked at the Autobot looking over her shoulder. Ironhide didn't have a lot to do on the ship, so he often spent his time looking at the weapons Ashley assembled and modified at her work bench. It put her off as much the Minicons. She looked over again at the weapon's expert, causing him to tilt his head to the side.<p>

"Okay, what's the problem?" she asked.

"Oh no problem, the guns are good...not much good against Con armour but I suppose they do the job here," he said.

Placing her rifle on the bench, Ashley opened a box with several mod chips inside. She withdrew three chips and placed them in a row on the bench. All of the chips were black but had glowing lines on the edges. Ashley's fingers tilted a chip with pale blue glowing lines.

"Cryo rounds, designed to weaken and brittle armour and to freeze targets outright, I shoot a Decepticon's leg joints and he won't be coming after me, I shoot his arms and hands he'll be slow with aiming at me which will give me time to stick a grenade somewhere important," she explained, smirking at the surprised look on Ironhide's face.

She took another mod chip, and injected it into the assault rifle barrel. Suddenly, the gunnery chief turned and fired a burst into Ironhide. He stumbled back, letting out a yelp as he hit the ground. It shook the ship slightly, causing Garrus to drop one of the tools he was using for the Mako. Several other ship mates even moved to cover, scared by Ashley's actions. Wrex on the other hand smirked, excited and possibly attracted to Ashley's attitude in the face of the Autobot weapon's expert.

"By Primus what was that?" Ironhide demanded.

"Phasic rounds, also called disruptor ammo," Ashley said.

She removed the upgrade chip, showing off the blue glowing lines along its edges.

"Rather than projectiles the gun will release charged particle bolts that disrupt and occasionally break through shields, at the right charge frequency they disrupt your optics right?" she asked.

"Yeah, why I was practically blind for a few seconds," Ironhide said.

"And a few seconds can be the difference between a Decepticon squashing me, or me sticking a high explosive to his leg and crippling him. I'm not kidding myself Ironhide, I know I'm out matched by the Decepticons, without all this great equipment my rifle might as well be shooting spit balls and if this Reaper thing is true I won't have a place in this war," Ashley explained.

"Every soldier is important, from a pilot to an infantry troop, we've all got a part to play. As for equipment you should've seen the kind of fights we had in the Prothean war, they were brutal, a lot of their equipment eclipsed yours and most of all they were zealots completely consumed by the desire to see us wiped out."

"I know Ironhide, I know your people avoided destruction and genocide, the Protheans sounded truly disgusting but honestly I don't think humanity is that different," Ashley hung her head slightly as Ironhide looked at her in confusion. "We can be petty, fearful and sometimes outright hatred can guide our actions, rampant paranoia too, the Turians aren't that different, they attacked first and we surrendered at Shanxi," she elaborated, putting the rifle back on the bench and looked at the orange mod chip. "Inferno rounds, if we get the temperature just right we can melt through your armour with a single shot, except the gun will overheat too quickly then and be useless."

Williams remained quiet, putting the mods back in the box and taking her rifle apart. Ironhide still remained though his presence bothered her a little less. Despite being as tall and old as Optimus he was as clumsy and curious as the younger Autobots. He suddenly spoke up, drawing Ashley away from her work and causing her to look into his blue eyes.

"It's my opinion that General Williams made the best choice for his men that day," he said.

"A lot of people would disagree," Ashley said.

"Your top brass would, but his troops, the men and women who were able to go back to their families or start families of their own I'm sure they didn't hate him. In fact my choosing to surrender Williams saved more lives, there are times you've got to bunker down and keep on fighting but for something like that he made as good a choice as he could with the Intel and equipment he had. I'm not saying was the right choice or if there even is a right choice, but he made a good call and since then your top brass has made bad calls, you're as good a soldier as Shepard Chief Williams you just haven't been given as many opportunities to prove yourself," the Autobot explained.

He smirked as the small hint of a smile graced her lips.

"You know Ironhide for an alien you're all right," she said.

"Ditto Williams, ditto," Ironhide smiled before walking to Optimus and Ratchet.

Ratchet shook his head in disapproval, Optimus however touched Ironhide's shoulder and nodded his head. Not that the medic was completely against integrating with the humans, he had advised Chakwas on a few medical procedures. Ashley began cleaning each individual piece of her weapon, stopping only when her Omni-tool buzzed. It was a voice message from her sister Sarah. Opening the message, Ashley listened to her sister's voice, remembering it fondly.

"Hey sis, I heard you're under Commander Shepard's command now, you must be loving her choice of recruits," she smiled at her sister's laugh, not every Williams was distrustful of aliens and her younger sisters weren't afraid to be vocal about it. "We've been hearing some pretty out there things about the...Cyberons were they called? I don't know which reports are accurate and which aren't, is it true their leader changes his name a lot? Do they have little miniature sidekicks as tall as children? You picked an Asari up on one of your missions, is it true she's a bond mate of the Cyberon leader?"

That last comment caused Optimus to turn to her in shock, and for Ironhide to laugh.

"Hmm, physical contact isn't necessary for Asari to reproduce...no wait, they need an organic nervous system, unless..."

"Please tell me you're joking Ratchet," Optimus said.

"Doctor T'Soni is very fond of you, and the Asari might have gotten the biology of their reproduction wrong, science facts often change with discovery...perhaps we should put it to the test I'm sure Liara wouldn't mind giving the meld a try," Ratchet explained.

"Ratchet Ah think he thinks you're serious, you are joking right?"

"We should put it to the test, for the sake of science, I can download common lines used for wooing Asari maidens, love works very differently amongst organics," Ratchet said.

"That was something else I wanted to ask you!"

The three Autobots looked down, with Ironhide dropping his jaw in shock. Shepard stood with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face, the Asari maiden beside her blushed slightly and looked very embarrassed.

"Hey Ratchet, please tell me you were joking," Ironhide said, nudging the medic.

"The look on your faces, especially you Optimus," Ratchet chuckled.

'Face? How can anyone tell what Optimus is thinking with that damn plate over his mouth?' Wrex wondered, he had been observing the Autobots with equal confusion and amusement.

Ashley turned off her Omni-tool, vowing to kill her sister for starting a very awkward topic.

"How do Cybertronians procreate?" Liara asked, behind her Shepard tried to avoid laughing.

"Didn't we explain this already?" Ironhide asked.

"We established that biology is different for Cybertronians than it is for organics doctor T'Soni, from an organic point of view Arcee would be the daughter of a comrade we lost called Cup," Optimus said, crossing his arms as he looked down at the organics. "Reproduction is referred to as creating in our culture, we take the best aspects of our sparks and place them within a new creation, often for practical purposes or in the case of Cup and his bond mate to experience the joy of raising a sparkling and shaping them, like parents would with a child. Sometimes more than two beings will add aspects of their sparks into a new one, whilst the beings themselves will merge into a completely new life form, sometimes permanently but most of the time temporarily like the Combaticons under Megatron's command. Occasionally though its exceedingly rare nowadays an event we call 'reformation' takes place, though you could possibly refer to it as reincarnation."

"Wait, some Cybertronians are immortal?" Shepard asked.

"No, no not at all," Optimus said. "Sorry, I should probably explain that better, you see it's a very rare almost nonexistent event now when a fallen Cybertronian's spark passes through what we call the 'All-Spark' the equivalent of the afterlife. Here all sparks become one whether they be good or evil, they all come to understand one another and know peace, yet they are incapable of truly living. Sometimes a spark will return from that dimension and reformat the old body into a new one," he explained.

"You mean that some who die may come back to life?" Liara asked.

"No, they are changed, both their bodies and sparks, they would be a completely new being with a basic memory, for example if I was to die and return I would not remember my comrades or the connection to those comrades, some slither of who I once was may remain within my spark but I would be a different person on the outside."

"We don't have all of the scientific answers, a lot of our knowledge on reformatting is theory," Ratchet added.

"What about love and family?" Liara asked.

"Family and love isn't all biology, its bond, emotion and despite what others may claim we feel emotion we establish strong bonds as strong as any family. I love my crew, they are family to me," Optimus said.

"It's not all biology to us either, don't misjudge us either, we can love all of our close friends and family and it wouldn't have anything to do with sex," Shepard explained.

"Of course I wasn't imply..."

Suddenly the ship rocked, causing crew members to stumble backwards and forward. Optimus landed on his knees, careful to avoid Shepard and Liara. In the mess hall, Kaidan covered himself with a biotic aura on pure instinct. He ran up to the bridge to see the Minicons putting out a fire by one of the work stations. Red alert was applying burn treatments to a wounded crew member.

"Shepard we could use you on the bridge, Optimus I'm sending a feed to you you'll want to see this," Joker said over the intercom.

Optimus widened his eyes as he looked upon what had attacked the Normandy. Ratchet and Ironhide tapped into the feed and gasped as well.

"It's an Autobot shuttle," Optimus said.

Shepard and Liara immediately went to the elevator. The Asari hopped on her toes, impatient with the elevator and eager to see more of Optimus's supposed comrades.

"We got lucky, their shot just clipped the side," Navigator Pressly said.

"I don't think so, we aren't moving at full speed and our sensors weren't giving them away, they shot was meant to get out attention," Joker explained, his demeanour was serious.

"Except they have no idea how much the Normandy can take," Kaidan said as he climbed into the co-pilot seat.

The five looked at the ship and saw something identical to the G1 in terms of shape, though it was probably a bit smaller in comparison to other Autobot ships.

"That's a stealth lander meant for quick operations and not ship to ship combat," Ironhide said.

"So the Normandy could take it right?" Joker asked.

"Hold on Joker, they wanted our attention, carry out fast but not aggressive manoeuvres, we want to make it clear we're willing to listen," Shepard explained.

The CIC staff looked at their monitors in shock as they flickered. Shepard and Liara looked nervously behind them as the galaxy map faded away, to be replaced by the menacing form of their attacker. He had yellow and grey armour, with shoulder guards resembling wheels and a black head with a blue visor for eyes and a plate covering his mouth.

"Meat bag crew," his voice echoed through the ship, the Autobots didn't need to tap into the feed to hear him. "You're probably already aware that organics are not the only intelligent beings in the universe, and you're probably already aware that you are hilariously outmatched. My communications officer intercepted a message from the extra-net..."

"Um boss, I think intercepted isn't a fair term, you can get anything from the extra-net without hacking," a second voice spoke up.

"Shut up Snarl," the bot growled.

"As I was saying we know who you're harbouring, or who you at least travelled with for a time, meat bags of the Normandy, if you tell us where the crew of the G1 has gone that will be the end of it, we will no longer attack you...but if you don't, we will pursue you, we will catch you and..."

"WE'LL KILL YOU!" a chorus of others yelled over the bot.

"SCRAP IT I WANTED TO SAY THAT!" he yelled.

"Dude, he may have been a meat bag but Liam Neeson was twice as intimidating as you Grimlock."

"I don't know Swoop, did Neeson have a flaming sword?"

"He had an energy sword, I believe they called it a light sabre Slug, what's the look for Sludge?"

"We're still linked to them you glitched up pile of scrap, THEY CAN STILL HEAR US!"

"ENOUGH!" the newly identified Grimlock roared. "This is Grimlock of the Lightning Strike Coalition, turn over any information on the crew of Orion Pax now or the next shot will destroy you."

Optimus nodded to Ratchet, who began accessing the ships systems to counter the LSC's cyber attack. The members of the coalition grimaced slightly as their star chart was replaced with Optimus's form.

"I was formerly Orion Pax, now I am Optimus, there is a planetoid nearby, if you want to talk land there commander Grimlock," he said.

Grimlock snarled as Optimus's hologram disappeared. The Normandy approached an uncharted planet, beginning a descent into the atmosphere. He turned and nodded to Swoop, signalling the pilot to follow. Walking to the small armoury Grimlock's hands shook in fury, no one had spoke to him so dismissively before. He grabbed a sword from the weapon's rack and folded it into his skirt armour, vowing to make good on his promise to Ultra Magnus.

* * *

><p>Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya was afraid, primarily because the crew of the G1 were afraid. If the speed Sky Lynx was travelling at was any indication he was obviously afraid too. Mere minutes ago everything had been fine, the crew had been bantering like normal and Tali had been compiling notes on the Energon deposits, whilst working at the bridge alongside Jazz. The former racer was recounting one of his races to a half interested Tali when Sky Lynx suddenly alerted them of danger.<p>

"I'VE GOT ASTRO TRAIN BEHIND US A COUPLE OF LEAGUES AWAY!" the ship yelled.

He transformed to dragon form and turned his head, giving Tali and Jazz a look at the pursuing Decepticon. He was in shuttle form and already had his weapons out. Bumblebee and Cliff Jumper quickly ran to the gunnery stations whilst Jetfire prepared himself at the hanger. Sky Lynx sped up as Astro Train began firing blasts from his cannons. He banked to the left, going into the debris field of a nearby planet. The asteroids bounced off of his armour like nothing and also provided a shield against Astro Trains gunfire.

"Jazz, the Decepticons are hailing us," Tali said.

"Patch them through Tali, maybe inflating Starscream's ego will buy us time," Jazz said.

Tali kept her eyes on Jazz as a hologram appeared. She was shocked to see a rare look of horror across his face. The Decepticon was not Starscream or even Rodimus, but one Tali didn't remember seeing at Therum.

"Former crew of the G1, where is your commander Optimus?"

"Megatron," Jazz uttered the bots name, so overcome by fear that he couldn't answer his question.

"Sky Lynx, stop your flight now or I will destroy you," the Decepticon leader threatened.

Tali looked at Megatron and though he was a hologram she could tell why the Autobots feared him. He spoke like the kind of leader who made demands and not orders, yet carried himself like a fighter, a warrior, some who could discipline his troops if they disobeyed or fight alone if necessary. That and the fact that he kept his face uncovered offered opportunities for him to show his stern expression and his rage, a face free of compassion.

"Megatron, champion of the pits of Kaon, protector of the lower class, or was it master? How peaceful were the slums before you began speaking of rebellion?" Sky Lynx asked, ever his voice quivered slightly.

"Accuse me of what you will thief but the high council made the slums a pit, my people were all but abandoned to save cities of 'greater importance' when we outnumbered the higher caste Autobots a hundred to one," Megatron said.

"I know of the hardships those people faced."

"And you made it worse by running away, with the biggest stockpile of Energon the planet had, you are a burglar Sky Lynx hiding away, don't pretend you were making some kind of statement."

"Optimus isn't with us Megatron, and we won't give him up," Jazz said.

The Decepticon leader paused briefly before looking down at Jazz.

"I believe you," he said then narrowed his eyes into a stern frown. "Astrotrain, fire on Sky Lynx, disable him now," he commanded.

"With pleasure Lord Megatron," Tali imagined Astrotrain smiling gleefully.

Sky Lynx turned his head, seeing cannon barrels extending from Astrotrain's nose cone and wings. He flapped his own wings, releasing bursts from the rockets attached to them. The dragon and shuttle hybrid weaved around debris as Astrotrain fired his cannons. Blasts flew past Sky Lynx, consuming meteorites, making the cover the debris field offered redundant. Hatches opened on the side of Sky Lynx's body, revealing the turrets Bumblebee and Cliff Jumper had manned.

"TAKE THIS JUNKERS!" Cliff yelled, rolling the barrels of his turret's gatling gun.

"We need to focus on Astrotrain's weapons Cliff Jumper, that might buy us a little time," Bumblebee said.

His turret was a single barrelled cannon meant for sniping targets. He trailed the camera over Astrotrain and fired at his cannons. The Decepticon however swerved to the right and released a flurry of missiles. Each missile had a drill attached to the end of it and were heading straight for Sky Lynx. Cliff Jumper focused on the missiles, shooting down groups of them. He shielded his eyes as one exploded a little too close him. Inside Astrotrain Megatron and his men watched the battle unfold, Soundwave wordlessly calculated the path of the missiles Astrotrain released, whilst Megatron began preparing weapons for a boarding.

"Lord Megatron, please allow me to redeem myself for my previous failures, I promise you I will deliver the location of the matrix personally," Starscream said.

He of course put on his usual bravado, bowing like a man on stage to his leader. Megatron simply ignored him as he looked at a sword he had picked up.

"I have no interest in the matrix, only the location of Prime and the Energon that Sky Lynx stole," he said.

Megatron folded the sword and stored it on his hip.

"Soundwave, see to it that our plans are carried out," he said.

"Where are you going?" Rodimus asked.

"To tear Optimus's location from their sparks if I must," Megatron snarled as he began walking towards Astrotrain's exit hatch.

Starscream glared as Megatron left, Rodimus however smirked. He grabbed Starscream by his shoulder and drew him away from the prying ears of Soundwave. Likewise Astrotrain was also too busy pursuing Sky Lynx to notice the conspiracy going on between the two traitors.

"Megatron is a fool to simply dismiss the power the matrix offers, it is both a source of great energy and a badge of leadership, it marks all those whom carry it worthy of being not just a commander but a leader of our entire species," Rodimus explained.

"Tell me then Rodimus, why did you simply give it to a traitor like Optimus?" Starscream asked.

"Because I believed he may be worthy of it, both he and Megatron however have proven to be ineffective, incapable of seeing the future that I see, you however may be different Starscream. I believe you will be capable of using the full power of the matrix, a power that Optimus and Megatron cannot even contemplate or believe in," Rodimus explained.

A smile crossed Starscream's face and the former seeker commander laughed.

"How can I claim the matrix for myself if I don't even know where it is?" he asked.

"I can sense the matrix Starscream, what we seek, what our people need is inside Sky Lynx, within one of the Autobots," Rodimus said.

"Then I will rip it from their grasp," the seeker grinned.

* * *

><p>"So, anyone else think this is a bad idea?"<p>

Joker was the first to speak after the strange communiqué with the LSC. It broke what as an awkward silence (though there was a muffling sound from Shepard as she tried not to laugh). Suffice to say the Lightning Strike Coalition had not made a good first impression, both in terms of their personality and competency. Optimus's holographic form, displayed by Spark Plug looked at Shepard for approval.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to talk," she said.

"I don't know commander, Grimlock looked like he was itching for a fight, I've seen that kind of aggression before," Kaidan said.

Shepard nodded, seeing that Kaidan was probably recalling his experience from biotic training camp. He was of the early generation of biotics just after the first contact war. Conatex industries put together a few of those biotics into a training camp at Jump Zero. Most were children who didn't even have any intention of joining the military, and at the time the alliance wanted to better relations with the Turians. A first contact war veteran by the name of Vyrnnus was bought in to teach the young biotics. He had been brutal, often using violence to push the trainees. Shepard could tell that Kaidan had probably been on the receiving end of Vyrnnus's archaic training style, and that it hadn't ended well. Her own experience on the streets made her aware of when people were eager for a fight, she agreed with Kaidan wholeheartedly that Grimlock was a fighter. But she also had faith in Optimus's diplomatic skills.

"Joker, do you think we've be able to outrun their ship at top speed?" she asked.

"Please commander who do you think you're talking to," the pilot grinned.

"All right then," Shepard put on her Omni-tool and contacted Ashley. "Chief, get everyone out of the cargo bay, except for Garrus and Wrex, tell them to put helmets on and keep their weapons ready. That goes for you too chief if the coalition try something drop a flash grenade so Optimus can get out of there," she explained.

"Sure thing skipper," Ashley said before carrying out her commands.

"All right everyone back up, get to engineering or the mess hall, Prahm...Optimus what are you doing?" Ironhide asked as Optimus began removing his armour.

"Establishing that I am not hostile, that I have no intention of fighting Grimlock," despite the objective looks his comrades gave him Optimus continued to strip his armour off.

"Bad idea Optimus, that Grimlock is looking for a fight trust me, he oozes aggression like a Krogan child before becoming an adult," Wrex explained.

"You mean puberty?" Garrus asked, putting on his helmet.

"I know of the Lightning Strike Coalition Optimus, despite the ridiculous nature of their name and their childish personalities they are one of the greatest special forces units under Magnus's command. They're deployed for missions of great important to Autobot security, missions of such a delicate nature that they require secrecy and missions of great danger they can only be called suicide," Ratchet explained.

"So they're basically a squad of disposable soldiers," Ashley said.

She was already in her heavy armour, her breather mask attached to her helmet and rifle at the ready.

"They're kept in stasis between missions and locked away, most Autobots don't believe they exist but I've seen them in action, Grimlock doesn't even need to give them commands, because the coalition is so in synch, so aware of their roles that they're like hunters in a pack."

"Wait a minute, where would you have seen them in action Ratchet?" Ironhide asked.

"We all had careers before we met Optimus you know."

The Normandy however above the desolate ground of the planetoid. Grimlock had already had his ship taken a small distance away. He and the rest of the coalition travelled to the meeting point in vehicle mode. Swoop flew around the Normandy, keeping his weapons at the ready. Likewise the rest of the coalition trailed their mounted weapons over the vessel, as Grimlock transformed to robot mode.

"What in the name of Primus," he snarled, seeing Optimus exit the Normandy.

Optimus landed and raised his arms.

"I come in peace Grimlock, there's no need for us to fight each other," he said.

"Optimus Prime, Orion Pax, you..." Grimlock growled as he drew his sword.

Shepard and the other crew members widened their eyes as Grimlock thrust his sword, stopping the heated end just inches from Optimus's face.

"By the authority granted to me by Ultra Magnus, true commander of the Autobot forces you and your men are UNDER ARREST!"

Next Chapter 17: Savagery

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time its Optimus vs. Grimlock whilst Tali and the Autobots struggle to survive Megatron's assault.<p>

Probably noticed the recurring theme of family in this chapter, wanted to give some insight into the backgrounds of some of the characters, their personalities but mostly what Tali has learnt from the Autobots. As for the Lightning Strike Coalition, they're kind of goofy bad asses, good in a fight but get in trouble when out of conflict, I thought it would be a good reference to the Dinobots they'll one day become :)


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 17: Savagery

Grimlock had a similar face plate to Optimus, so one couldn't tell whether he was smiling or glaring during normal conversations. His actions however spoke for him, bringing his sword to rest at Optimus's chin, the blade glowed orange as Grimlock's grip tightened. Optimus kept his hands up but for the most part seemed unafraid. Ashley, Garrus and Wrex aimed their rifles at the coalition leader, likewise Ironhide prepared his cannons, ready to defend his commander even if it meant taking the first shot. Shepard analysed the situation from the bridge, looking between each faction. What she noticed puzzled her, the other members of the lightning strike coalition didn't have their weapons ready. In fact they made no show of trying to help Grimlock. That suggested either two things, one they didn't agree with his demand to take Optimus in or they were so confident of their commander's abilities that they wouldn't help him in a fight.

"What grounds do you have to arrest us?" Optimus asked.

"Abandoning your posts to join the traitor Rodimus Prime, disobeying a superior officer, failing to report to a superior officer and of course stealing a relic that rightly belongs to a commander of Autobot forces. Ultra Magnus declared that we bring you all in to report on Rodimus Prime's activities and to return the matrix of leadership, on top of those orders was a curiosity on you Orion Pax, or is it Optimus Prime?" Grimlock asked.

"Optimus will do, I am no Prime."

"Exactly, and yet you have the gall to wear a badge of honour you are unworthy of, you who joined Rodimus, defying the orders of Ultra Magnus to hunt down Decepticon rebels and then betraying him anyway".

"Is it just me or does this Grimlock guy really not like Optimus?" Garrus asked.

"I can tell when something's personal, this guy really wants to beat Optimus senseless," Wrex grinned, he too was eager to watch the two Autobots fight.

Optimus lowered his hands, causing Grimlock to tilt his head in confusion.

"You are right, you had reasonable grounds to take me into custody, however it is no longer necessary," Optimus said.

"No longer necessary?" Grimlock lowered his sword, bringing his face towards Optimus's, glaring at him intensively. "Where is it Optimus? Where is the matrix?"

"I no longer have it, I gave it to one of my men..."

"YOU DARE!" the Autobot yelled.

Grimlock suddenly slammed his fist into Optimus's face, knocking him to the ground.

"You give the matrix to a common soldier, IT IS NOT YOURS TO GIVE!" Grimlock yelled.

"Okay, big scary Autobot with the flaming sword has now gone lord of the rings on us, what should we do commander?" Joker asked.

"Wait a minute," Shepard said.

In the cargo bay, Ratchet touched the barrel of Ironhide's gun and lowered it to the ground.

"Optimus has this," the medic said.

He narrowed his eyes as Optimus stood up, touching the mark Grimlock had left on his face.

"Which one of them has it Optimus Traitor, which one have you given our most sacred item to? Magnus gave me permission to reclaim it by whatever means necessary, even if it means tearing every weakling in that ship apart," Grimlock explained.

He dragged his sword through the ground, swinging it over his shoulder. With a great yell Grimlock rushed towards Optimus, fully intent on cleaving him in two.

"Okay, this is getting rough, maybe we should stop this," Slug said.

"I think the commander's just pulling an intimidation tactic," Snarl said.

"Not likely," Swoop prepared to fly down.

The flyer however hesitated as Optimus raised his head. His limbs shook as Grimlock came closer and closer towards him. Suddenly, his eyes let out a red glow and he roared in fury. He pulled his arm back and then swung it forward, striking Grimlock so hard that it knocked him to the ground. Grimlock's sword slammed into the ground as he got up.

"Okay, that was unexpected," Snarl said.

"What's happened to Optimus?" Liara asked.

Both Grimlock and Optimus let out furious roars as they ran at one another. They slammed their fists together, Optimus was knocked back slightly but pushed forward, slamming his head against Grimlock's. Their fingers locked and their feet dug into the ground, both putting all their strength into toppling the other. But neither Autobot went down despite their best efforts. Grimlock's armour creaked, as did Optimus's limbs.

"Berserker or not, you shouldn't have taken off your armour," Grimlock snarled.

He slammed his knee into Optimus's chest and head butted him. Optimus's feet dug into the ground because of the taller Autobot's blow. He struck back however, upper cutting Grimlock's chin and forcing him back. Then he followed up with a cross, hitting Grimlock in the face. He pulled his fist back and then swung it forward for a third strike. Suddenly, Grimlock grabbed Optimus's fist, squeezing it tightly as he looked straight into his eyes.

"I admit that I underestimated you, you're certainly worthy of the respect your men have for you, it's no wonder they followed you into such foolishness. My men do the same for me, because I have strength to back up my orders, because might makes right in this world, that's something those from Kaon didn't understand, they never had the strength to back up their complaints that is why they were abandoned," Grimlock explained.

"What is he talking about? Why did he call Optimus 'spawn of Kaon'?" Garrus asked.

"Kaon was that lower class city you talked about right?" Ashley asked.

"I never thought about it before but, the reason most of the Decepticons have red eyes is because most of the Decepticons came from the district of Kaon, it was one of the largest cities on the planet but the energon there was this strange red colour and it could never be used for anything more than an energy charge, the equivalent of your organic stims. Sparklings formed in Kaon usually had red eyes, that's why Optimus has red eyes because he's originally from Kaon," Ironhide explained.

"I always knew where he was from, and I'm sure the others didn't care," Ratchet said.

"But this state he's in, it's a berserker state, common amongst..."

Ironhide stopped as he heard Optimus cry out. Grimlock kicked his legs, bringing him to his knees. Then he slammed his elbow into Optimus's shoulder, once, twice to draw a spark from it. The coalition leader then let out a triumphant roar before striking Optimus's shoulder one more time. A crunch echoed through the area, like a bone being broken but louder and ten times as painful. Optimus screamed in agony, falling to the ground with his left hand hanging lifeless.

"OPTIMUS!" Ironhide yelled.

He jumped off of the Normandy, aiming his cannons at Grimlock. The other members of the Lightning Strike Coalition immediately armed their weapons, aiming them at Ironhide and the Normandy.

"Like I said, weak and pathetic, might is the only thing that matters," Grimlock said as he picked up his sword. "Now, surrender or die!"

* * *

><p>It was strange for Tali, but part of her could feel the fear that had filled Sky Lynx. Like when her mother would hold her shaking hand, she could feel the fear in every jerk and quick movement the Autobot made. He flew across space faster than Tali thought something his size could go. Sky Lynx alone had a propulsion ability that covered half the distance a mass relay could. She wondered whether they were still even within known space, whether they had gone beyond the scope of the mass relays? If so then Megatron's determination to catch them bordered on obsession, Astro-train lingered behind them, shooting missiles and blasts at the winged hybrid.<p>

"I'm out, I need another ammo pack," Cliff Jumper said.

"We don't have any more, we'll have to just try and outrun them," Bumblebee said.

The scout darted around the ship in his car mode, transforming to robot mode as he reached the medical bay.

"Maybe adding gravity will give us an advantage, what are the conditions of the planet's we're flying past?" Tali asked.

"Wait, that might work, there are actually planets in this system that offer shelter we could use to buy time," Sky Lynx said.

"Shelter for you? Those must be some pretty big rocks," Cliff Jumper said.

"What are you trying to say Cliff?"

"That we're going to need another volcano to hide you Lynx."

"Just leave my hiding place to me, get to the medical bay Tali, you too Jazz, I'm about to go through the atmosphere at top speed, there's no telling how hot the cockpit area will get," Sky Lynx explained.

"Sky Lynx, that doesn't make much sense, unless you're planning to crash re-entry should be taken as slowly and sensibly as possible," Tali said.

"My dear Tali'Zorah, you are simply too smart," Sky Lynx grinned as he entered the debris field of the nearby planet.

He transformed into dragon mode, slowing his descent just enough to catch Astrotrain's attention.

"HA! An easy target," Astrotrain said.

He opened hatches on his side, revealing harpoon cannons. The harpoons flew from the cannons, shattering rocks in the debris belt as they approached Sky Lynx.

"Quickly into the medical bay now," Sky Lynx commanded.

"Come on Tali," Jazz said as he turned to his car mode.

Tali climbed inside the vehicle, her eyes lingering on the console that seemed to be Sky Lynx's primary consciousness. There was a sudden jerk and then a crash. She widened her eyes as she heard Sky Lynx scream in agony. The harpoons had pierced through his wings sending bits of white and red metal burning into the atmosphere. Sky Lynx ignited his thrusters, pulling Astrotrain into the atmosphere with him.

"What in the name of Primus? You idiotic thief, do you truly plan to sacrifice yourself like this?" Astrotrain asked.

"Sacrifice? Primus no, I have in my possession a very big cache of energon, it would be a very big explosion. Jetfire, you have your target, open fire on me now," Sky Lynx said.

"What about you and the others?" Jetfire asked.

"The others are already within the lower regions of my body, where my legs are, and the download of my consciousness should be complete just about...now!"

The blue area of Sky Lynx's body suddenly dropped off. Much to Astrotrain's shock, his nemesis's draconic body remained lifeless, whilst the part that latched off began to transform. Four limbs folded out of the main body, gold claws popped out of the end of them. Then the front of the body opened, revealing the gold face of a lynx.

"NOW JETFIRE!" Sky Lynx yelled.

Jetfire targeted the body Sky Lynx had left behind and released a volley of missiles.

"Soundwave, activate a ground bridge now," Megatron's voice echoed over the Decepticon channel.

The blue robot slammed his fists together, releasing a surge of energy that shaped itself into a singularity.

"What is this?" Prowl asked.

"GROUND BRIDGE NO TIME!" Rodimus yelled.

He pushed his two men through the portal, followed closely by Starscream and Soundwave.

"Oh Primus, lord Megatron what about ME!" Astrotrain screamed.

The missiles struck the draconic husk, piercing the energon crystals inside. Jetfire changed to robot form and shielded his eyes as grand explosion of blue energy tore the husk apart and consumed the front of Astrotrain.

"SKY LYNX!" Bumblebee yelled.

"Calm down now Bee, when you're as brilliant as me you always have an escape plan," Sky Lynx's voice echoed inside the medical bay.

"You're alive, but we thought you were sacrificing yourself," Arcee said.

"Shock amplifies the moment, first you think I'm going to die and then surprise, the brilliant Sky Lynx concocts another fine escape plan. Why do you think I put lynx in my name?" Sky Lynx asked.

"And that explosion's taken down Astrotrain, and hopefully Megatron and his goons with him," Cliff Jumper said.

"Which means alls we have to do is send a distress beacon and wait for an Autobot ship to come pick us up," Sky Lynx explained.

He activated thrusters on his belly, slowing his fall just enough to lessen the impact on the ground. As soon as he hit the ground he ran to the top of a nearby mountain and looked at the falling debris of his old body and Astrotrain.

"That's advantage to us, we finally evened up the odds," Jazz grinned.

"Have we? What have we lost as a result, Prowl and Warpath were on there, we could have convinced them to defect," Bumblebee said.

"They were there, which means they made their choice Bee," Arcee huffed, looking away from the scout as he turned to her in shock.

"Optimus would have given them a second chance," he said.

"We can't always ask ourselves what Optimus would do," she countered.

"Of course not, you should ask yourself 'what would Sky Lynx do?' You'll never go wrong then!"

"Shut up Lynx!"

"ENOUGH ALL OF YOU!" Tali yelled.

The Autobots looked at the Quarian, all of them shocked by her outburst.

"We can't argue with one another, especially now, right now we need to focus on surviving," she explained.

"That's right," Jazz nodded.

"Okay, let's start with finding a place to shelter up," Jetfire said.

He swooped through the clouds, smiling as he got a view of Sky Lynx on one of the mountains. The planet they had landed on had primary mountain and cliff ranges. Some of the only life forms were winged lizards of some kind.

"Megatron, he's finally gone," Jetfire let out a sigh he had long kept in.

Suddenly, a blast hit Jetfire in the back, shattering his wings. Sky Lynx looked to the clouds in shock as he watched Jetfire fall. He relayed what he saw to a screen in the medical bay. When Jetfire hit a nearby mountain Tali gasped and the other Autobots stayed silent. A single jet craft emerged from the clouds, folding into the form of a tall, grey armoured Decepticon. He landed behind Jetfire, drawing a sword from his waist as the former seeker crawled across the ground.

"The rumours of my demise are greatly exaggerated Jetfire," Megatron said, stepping on Jetfire's arm.

He stomped on the arm, shattering the armour and causing Jetfire to holler. The aerial bot rolled downwards, stopping at a ledge and forcing himself to his knees. He looked at his left hand, some of his fingers were actually hanging off of the dented palm. But anger took over as he turned to Megatron.

"You were hiding amongst the debris, you used your own men as a distraction to sneak up on us," he explained.

"Sky Lynx's reaction was impressive but I anticipated a counter attack, I had Soundwave use a teleportation system to get my other men away, Astrotrain was too big to transport," Megatron explained.

"You used him as a sacrificial pawn," Jetfire snarled.

"What else does one do with weak soldiers?" Megatron asked, his voice showed no signs of guilt. "He was both weak and a coward, his final plea for help was pathetic."

"So only the brave are worthy of your respect?" Jetfire asked, remembering the Decepticon leader's reaction to Sari's last stand.

"Of course," he answered the question as if it required a simple response. "Your men are nearby aren't they Jetfire? I wonder if you will die calling out for help?"

"NOT LIKELY!"

Megatron raised his head, looking down the mountain range. Standing at the bottom was Sky Lynx, his form crouched in a pouncing position. Hatches on his back opened, revealing massive cannons that could level the mountain.

"Friends don't need to ask for help Megatron," Sky Lynx said.

The Decepticon leader stepped away from Jetfire, narrowing his eyes as they began to glow red.

* * *

><p>There was a literal second between the time the Decepticons used the ground bridge and Astrotrain's death. Prowl and Warpath looked up to see the giant's last moments and the magnificent energon explosion. Both Autobots looked towards Rodimus and glared.<p>

"What was that just now Rodimus, why didn't we even try to save Astrotrain's spark?" Warpath asked.

"You know as well as I do that he wasn't worth saving," Rodimus said.

"Worth saving? Rodimus that isn't like you at all," Prowl said.

Rodimus turned to his men, a dark expression crossing his face.

"What makes you think you know me, that you know what I'm really like?" he asked.

"Because we chose to follow you Rodimus, you spoke of a new vision for Cybertron, a vision where we can be united with the Decepticons to restore our home world to its former glory. We believed in that vision as we believed in you," Prowl explained.

**"Why is irrelevant, we must reach lord Megatron," **Soundwave said.

"What happened to you Rodimus? What happened to the bot who would sacrifice his spark for others?" Warpath asked.

"Who wanted more than anything for Orion and Megatron to fight side by side? As foolish as the idea was we all flocked to your banner because the idea was one of hope, something we hadn't had for a while," Prowl explained.

"You gave us that Rodimus."

"What point are you two trying to make exactly?" Rodimus asked. "Are you questioning my orders?" he raised his arm, pointing his wrist blaster at Prowl.

"I'm simply saying that...the world we're trying to create requires us to act to a certain level of standards, winning isn't enough we have to embody the laws and order we're trying to create," Prowl stated, though he backed away.

"And what of you Warpath? Do you seek to hold me back, to question the means I use to attain the peace you dream of?" Rodimus turned his blaster towards Warpath.

Showing more courage than Prowl, Warpath stepped forward.

"You have changed Rodimus Prime, the bot we once knew...Hot Rod would never have sacrificed his own people, Autobot or Decepticon. He never would have executed people who didn't agree with him, wouldn't have been Megatron's yes man, and he wouldn't have given up on his friends, Orion...Optimus is beginning to surpass you...no, he surpassed you a long time ago, he is the Prime that we need!"

Rodimus squeezed his hands into fists. He suddenly fired his wrist blaster, hitting Warpath in the shoulder and knocking him back. His face had morphed into a look of intense malice and anger.

"Do not preach to me about Optimus Prime, do you think his sense of righteousness is real? Do you think his determination and ability to inspire is real? It is not, if you knew what he really is, what the Primes really are then you would rethink your view of them, they and him would disgust you more than I do. I hold the fate of the entire galaxy in my hands, so DO NOT QUESTION WHAT I DO TO PROTECT IT!" Rodimus yelled.

"We don't have time for this, Megatron is isolated, now is the time to strike," Starscream said.

"What are you two doing?" Prowl demanded, reaching for his pistol.

"What is necessary," Rodimus said.

He fired a shot at Prowl's feet, causing him to back off. Rodimus transformed to his car mode and drove away at top speed, Starscream flew over head in his jet form.

"Rodimus, what have you done?" Warpath asked.

"He's going to betray Megatron, but who in the galaxy would he side with afterwards, Starscream commands no respect amongst the Decepticons," Prowl explained.

He crouched to check Warpath's wound. It would require repair if he ever intended to transform again. Soundwave seemed to have disappeared as quickly as Rodimus and Starscream had left.

"Go Prowl, get to the Autobots, help them whatever way you can," Warpath said.

Prowl nodded his head before transforming to car form.

* * *

><p><em>The cries of the arena would have deafened him if he were organic. After hundreds of years living within the Energon mines and fighting within the pits there was only one thing he hated, everything. He hated the crowds cheering and crying out for more violence, living in luxury as his brothers and sisters rusted, their batteries fading whilst their higher class counterparts consumed energon in the excess. Hatred of the system drove him, for every bot he fought he thought of the higher ups, the council of primes whom said that his people were fulfilling their predetermined roles. To advance in the ranks people had to give themselves completely to the laws of the Primes, to give up pride and dreams, to be a slave. But from the moment their sparks had formed they were free.<em>

_"Death, death, death, death," the crowd chanted._

_He looked up at his opponent, a worthy opponent, someone like him who hated the way their world was. His opponent raised his blade but stopped as he grabbed his weapon. Gathering what strength he had, he gripped both ends of his sword and began to bend it. He snapped the blade in half and threw the pieces aside. His opponent smirked and did the same to his weapon._

_"No more," the bot said. "It ends here my Nemesis!"_

* * *

><p>Optimus yelled, regaining his consciousness. He looked towards Grimlock and Ironhide standing in front of him. The weapons expert had put himself between Grimlock and Optimus. The latter wasn't going to stand for the former threatening his friends anymore. Optimus gripped his dislodged arm and began to pull. He growled, sparks shot out of his shoulder joint with every second. Grimlock was taken aback by the action and Ironhide even turned to see what his leader and friend was doing. Finally, the arm came off and Optimus yelled. He used the useless arm as a club, smacking Grimlock so hard that his visor shattered, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes.<p>

"What was that about the weak Grimlock? Why choose to hate where you came from and not what the people at the top turned it into?" Optimus asked.

"What's he talking about boss man?" Swoop asked.

Grimlock snarled as he turned to the coalition, revealing his red eyes, a symbol that he was from Kaon. His anger only grew worse as the bots began to laugh.

"Wow, Primus sake Grimlock all that talk about Kaon and how it was a cesspit and it turns out you're from there too," Snarl said.

"What a hypocrite you are," Sludge chuckled.

"ENOUGH!" Grimlock yelled.

"Exactly Grimlock, enough fighting, enough violence. I don't pretend to know or understand what kind of life you led in Kaon and why you kept it from your own men but I think you're a good soldier. Part of being a soldier is about being able to act on the information you receive on the field, to make a decision when there is no officer present. I'm about to give you information that changes everything, if you are as good a soldier as I believe then you will heed the warning," Optimus explained.

He dropped his arm and tapped the side of his head, beginning to download the beacon data to the coalition. Each member had a look of discomfort on their faces, but Optimus could tell that there were processing what they had seen, and each came to the same conclusion. Grimlock looked at his men and nodded before turning to Optimus. He stuck his sword into the ground and knelt, only to pick up Optimus's arm.

"What you did took a lot of spark Optimus, and what you say is true, these Reapers are perhaps a bigger threat than the Decepticons, your men are already on their way to Magnus so he'll know soon. My men and I will remain in this region of space, we'll do some scouting, gather some Intel and when the time to take the fight to Saren and the Fallen comes...contact us, because this is a fight we don't want to miss out on," Grimlock explained.

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief, the rest of the ground team lowered their weapons and wiped the sweat from their brows. Ratchet jumped onto the ground and walked to Optimus's side.

"What did you see?" he asked.

"Nothing that will keep me from what needs to be done, whatever answers await concerning my past are nothing compared to the future that awaits if we fail," Optimus said.

"Indeed, leave the past where it lays."

Optimus put his arm over his shoulder and patted Ratchet's arm.

"I noticed you tried to keep Ironhide from interfering, thank you for believing in me old friend," he said before he began walking to the coalition's ship.

Shepard looked at the medic inquisitively. Ratchet lowered his head as Optimus left, with a look Shepard had seen plenty of times in the mirror. She had seen it after she joined the alliance and left her life of crime behind, she had seen it when she had led her men into a massacre at Akuze. Ratchet had a look of guilt across his face.

* * *

><p>Whatever confidence the Autobots had faded along with their advantage. Megatron's roar was like a war horn. He jumped off of the mountain, transforming in midair and dodging Sky Lynx's shots. Again he transformed, drawing his sword as he landed on Sky Lynx's back. He sliced the cannons apart and shot them with his riot cannon. Sky Lynx shook, causing some of the Autobots to stumble about. Bumblebee used his hands to block his fall, narrowly missing Tali.<p>

"Keelah, we had him but..."

"AAAGH!" Tali whipped her head around, looking to Arcee.

She had fallen of the operating table, landing on her severed legs. Cliff Jumper ran to her side, helping her up whilst Jazz saw to Blaster. Outside, Megatron continued slashing at Sky Lynx's back, even as the Autobot ran around, trying to knock the Decepticon off. Megatron jumped, landing near Sky Lynx's right paw. With a single swing of his sword he cut the leg off, causing Sky Lynx to fall to the floor.

"Primus, Sky Lynx was bigger and had more fire power, yet he wasn't able to law a single scratch on him," Arcee said.

"And it took just a few seconds for him to bring him down," Cliff Jumper noted.

Bumblebee walked away from Tali and grabbed his rifle.

"Where are you going Bee?" Jazz asked.

"If we don't make a stand Megatron will pick us off one by one, Sky Lynx sacrificed part of himself and his energon reserves to keep us safe I'm not going to let that go unpaid," Bumblebee explained.

He transformed to car mode and began driving towards the exit hatch. Lynx's body shook again, causing Bumblebee to roll onto his back. Transforming back to robot mode, Bumblebee looked at the monitor showing the battle. Megatron had driven his sword into one of Sky Lynx's back legs, bringing him to the ground. The savagely brutal fighter's expression faded, replaced by a face that could almost be called reasonable if not for the gun he had pointed at Lynx's face.

"Where is Optimus Prime, or Orion Pax or whoever has been leading this ragtag group?" Megatron asked.

"What is your interest in the Prime Megatron?" Lynx grinned.

"I have no time for games."

"Well that's too bad, because I always have time for a game, how about guessing games, I'm guessing your interest in Prime has something to do with your time in Kaon doesn't it?" Lynx asked.

Megatron huffed before beginning to charge his cannon. Suddenly, a blast hit him in the side. Megatron stepped back, gripping the smoking area of his armour. He turned to the shooter and growled. Bumblebee widened his eyes as Megatron rushed towards him, grabbing the barrel of his rifle and ripping it off. He threw a punch, but Megatron swiftly blocked it and countered with a vicious cross. The very force of the blow sent the scout skidding across the floor, leaving a dirt trail in front of him.

"It's clear that he isn't here, so little bot will you tell me what I want to know?" Megatron asked as he began walking towards Bumblebee.

"Maybe we don't know anything anyway, did you ever think of that?" Bumblebee countered.

"Possibly, perhaps you are just wasting my time to protect your leader, I admire your loyalty and your fire, but admiration only gets my enemies so far," Megatron said before he ignited his rockets, jumping towards Bumblebee.

A grapply cable suddenly slammed into Megatron's foot. Jazz and Cliff Jumper pulled him to the ground, hitting his chin against the rocks. He rolled onto his back and fired his fusion cannon, hitting Jazz in the chest.

"JAZZ!" Cliff Jumper yelled.

He turned to Megatron and glared before turning into his car form. Cliff Jumper drove circles around Megatron, pelting him with machine gun fire from his bonnet guns. Megatron took the shots, aiming his weapon carefully. He released a shot into the ground just as Cliff Jumper drove by. The explosion threw him upwards, causing him to crash onto his back. Cliff Jumper changed to robot mode and swung his cannon around. Suddenly, a blade slid through Cliff's arm, pinning it to the ground.

"GAAAAGH!" Tali could only remain close to Blaster and Arcee, her grip on her pistol grew tighter with every scream she heard from her allies.

Megatron pulled the blade out and lifted Cliff Jumper off of the ground. He then threw the red bot at Bumblebee, hitting the scout as he got up.

"Is it courage or loyalty that drives you Autobots? Who is this Optimus to invoke such a drive from you?" Megatron asked.

"He's what you would have been Megatron, a hero who fights for the people," Bumblebee said.

"A hero? And I still fight for the people, I've led an army fighting for freedom for millions of years," Megatron said.

"That's not what you've led at all, Starscream, the Combaticons, Scorponok, you've led an army of destroyers ravaging the galaxy for a cause you've forgotten, except for when you need an excuse," Bumblebee explained.

Tali ran to the hatch, watching as Bumblebee stood up to the much taller, and obviously stronger Decepticon. His face remained defiant, even as Megatron raised his fusion cannon.

"If he's inspired such courage in you little bot, even in your final moments then he must be who I think he is," the Decepticon grinned.

"BUMBLEBEE GET OUT OF THERE!" Tali yelled.

Suddenly, a beam of light pierced through Megatron's belly. He stepped back, gripping the area with a shocked expression on his face. Starscream landed, holding a sniper rifle, grinning at his leader. Bumblebee dived out of the way as Rodimus drove past him, transforming and kicking Megatron in the chest.

"RODIMUS! STARSCREAM!" he yelled.

He looked over his back, he had been pushed towards the edge of a cliff. Rodimus armed his wrist blasters and fired at the area in front of Megatron.

"This is for Cup," Rodimus growled as he continued firing.

Megatron widened his eyes as the ground gave way beneath him. Rocks slammed against his body as he fell and his yell of fury became a mere echo to the Autobots. Rodimus's armour turned back to its natural red colour and he turned away from the ledge and whatever fate had awaited the former leader of the Decepticons.

"He's gone, finally, YES! YES! I AM FINALLY RID OF MEGATRON!" Starscream yelled.

Cliff Jumper got off the floor and limped towards Sky Lynx, eying Starscream suspiciously.

"Is he right is Megatron really dead?" Bumblebee asked.

"It would be unwise to assume anything, but for now he won't be in our way, now hand the matrix over Bumblebee," Rodimus commanded.

Bumblebee backed away slightly, unsure of whether to trust Rodimus. Cliff Jumper looked out in the distance to see Prowl driving towards them.

"Its Prowl," he said.

"Tali, get back in here now," Jazz said.

Tali looked at the old racer and then at Starscream. The former air commander shaped his rifle into a sword as he approached Cliff Jumper.

"CLIFF JUMPER BEHIND YOU!" she screamed as loud as she could.

But the warning came too late, Starscream drove his sword through Cliff Jumper's back. He laughed as he twisted the blade around, pushing it deeper through Cliff Jumper's back until it burst out of his chest. Cliff Jumper weakly elbowed Starscream, throwing him off. He turned, only for an energy blast to hit him in the chest, blowing it open.

"NO!" Bumblebee yelled

He jumped at the shooter, hitting Rodimus in the face. But the former Prime grabbed the scout by his neck, slamming him to the ground before lifting him over his head.

"Everywhere I go I hear of how much Optimus Prime, Orion Pax is to be admired, yet he is not what you think he is little bot, let me tell you what your great hero is," Rodimus pulled Bumblebee's face to his and began whispering into his audio processor.

Cliff Jumper rose to a standing position, checking his equipment for his cloak.

**"Warning, not enough Energon, internal systems damaged, recommend immediate stasis lock,"** his on field assistance computer said.

"Override," Cliff Jumper snarled as he picked up Starscream's sword.

Tali couldn't hear Rodimus was saying, but it clearly made Starscream smile. She saw a look on Bumblebee's face she hadn't seen before.

'No I have seen it before, that day we first met,' she remembered the look he had when she threw a grenade at him.

That look of sadness however was quickly replaced with a smile. Bumblebee chuckled, shocking Rodimus.

"So that's the story behind him, then he truly is the Prime we need," Bee said.

"What? You still remain loyal to him even after everything I have told you?" Rodimus asked.

"You think that this will break people's faith in him, it won't Rodimus...it only gives us more hope, hope that everything will be okay, that even bots like him and Megatron and even you can change. I now know without shred of doubt that Optimus Prime can light the SCRAAK!"

Tali gasped in horror, for Rodimus had crushed Bumblebee's neck and his voice box. He savagely threw the scout to the ground, tearing open his chest.

"HOPE! HOPE! Hope will not lead you through the reapers, only sacrifice, only MY SACRIFICE!" Rodimus ripped the matrix from Bumblebee's chest and raised his blaster to finish him off.

But much to Tali's shock, Cliff Jumper appeared behind Rodimus and slid Starscream's sword through his side. Rodimus bashed Cliff Jumper aside and stomped his chest. He ripped Starscream's sword out and looked down at Cliff. Tali, Bumblebee and Sky Lynx also looked at Cliff Jumper very differently. The least serious of the Autobots had gathered what strength he had for a final attack, it had saved Bumblebee at least, but the light of his spark grew dimmer.

"Look at that," he chuckled, smirking as Rodimus looked down at him. "There you stand, the first to defeat Megatron in combat, the matrix of leadership in your hand and armies from two universes to command and yet...you are less than what you were before."

"Don't you dare speak to me as if I was still some lowly soldier from the capital, as if I was...was still..." Rodimus rubbed his brow, stepping away from Cliff Jumper. "As if I was still Hot Rod," he whispered.

Tali saw something she didn't think possible. Though there were no tears Rodimus was crying. It was if he was fighting some unseen force, one part of him ready to kill the Autobots whilst the other regretted every moment he was alive.

"I AM YOUR PRIME!" he yelled.

"You've always been our Prime Rodimus," Prowl said as he arrive, transforming to confront his former leader. "There was a time when you realised that, when you hoped and had dreams but now...you let Cup die, you've crippled Bumblebee and...Primus, you've killed one of the bravest and most loyal bots there is," Prowl pointed to Cliff Jumper.

"Cliff Jumper, oh Primus CLIFF JUMPER!" Arcee screamed, crawling across the floor.

"Wait Arcee," Jazz said.

"NO I NEED TO SEE HIM! LET ME SEE HIM!"

Tali fell to her knees, hugging her arms as she cried. There was a time when she would never have mourned a synthetic, or felt fearful for one as she did Bumblebee, or sympathy as she did for Rodimus.

"I have done terrible things, but...it was all necessary...submission is better than extinction, yet freedom is the right of all sentient beings OH PRIMUS! I can feel them, clawing at my processors, WHISPERING TO ME! I'm so sorry, it's too late for me...you must kill me Prowl, I order you to kill me."

"What? I don't understand," Prowl said.

"It is the greatest power of the Reapers, Indoctrination, the power to turn a person's mind, to shape them to their will, to make them worship them as gods. We don't have time for me to tell you how it happened but it has...I am lost, kill me please," Rodimus explained.

"No, you are my commander Rodimus, my friend."

"Then as my friend KILL ME PLEASE! BEFORE I KILL SOMEONE ELSE!" Rodimus yelled.

Starscream suddenly fired his blasters, hitting Rodimus multiple times in the chest. The former Prime, once great and glorious opened his chest plate and welcomed each shot. Starscream laughed as he picked up the Matrix and flew away, dodging each shot fired by Prowl and Jetfire.

"SO LONG SUCKERS!" Starscream yelled.

Rodimus looked at the body next to him, Cliff Jumper's sacrifice had earned his spark a place with the greatest of Cybertron.

"Cliff Jumper, Bulkhead, Sari and you too Cup, will I see you again in a place where all are one? No I haven't done enough...I wish I could start over, Bumblebee I'm so sorry."

"RODIMUS! Hang on, if we send out a signal we may attract an Autobot patrol, they can save Bumblebee and they'll save you too Rodimus," Prowl explained.

"I don't deserve it, I want to part in friendship Prowl, you and Warpath have always stayed by my side...tell him I'm sorry...we need a Prime, but not me...him, Optimus...Prime," Rodimus's voice faded with his spark and his body took on a grey colour.

Prowl sat away from Rodimus's body, staying there as the other Autobots gathered around Cliff Jumper and Bumblebee.

"Starscream will pay for this, I swear I'll see him melting in the pit," Arcee snarled.

"Bumblebee," Tali whispered.

She placed her hand against the scout's finger and looked up at his face. He put on a smile despite his injuries.

"What do we do now?" Jazz asked.

"We call the Prime we need," Tali said.

She stood up and looked at the other Autobots.

"Blaster is still alive and he's the greatest communications officer in the Autobots right? Then he's the best option to call for help," she explained.

"Tali do you even know what you're suggesting?" Arcee asked.

"I'm not suggesting, I'm going to do what Ratchet hadn't, I'm going to repair Blaster!"

Next Chapter 18: Hades' dogs

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><p>This chapter was easy, but at the same time not if you get my meaning. Cliff Jumper was one of my favourites, as was Rodimus and I knew I wanted Rodimus to do something to earn his redemption. This chapter saw the Autobots get put to their lowest, deprived of transport, wounded, their heart crippled and one of their best friends dead the Autobots also learn about Indoctrination and how it can affect even the strongest of them and they get back Prowl and Warpath. But they have to keep moving forward, that was the point of this chapter, no matter how much the Autobots get beaten up they'll keep going.<p>

Now that the philosophical stuff about the story is over, onto the summary for next chapter. Next time Shepard and her team face off against Cerberus, discovering what really happened at Akuze and what Cerberus is doing with Cybertronian technology.

Bumblebee's speech when he faced off against Megatron is a variation of what he said to Megatron in IDW's Transformers: More than Meets the Eye 26.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

Hey guys, back with another update, which includes the introduction of another Transformer.

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><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 18: Hades' dogs

As the Normandy entered the Newton system, Shepard contemplated just how far she had gone. All those years ago as a gang member on the streets, she never thought she would reach the point she had now. Being a hero of the alliance, the first human Spectre and the link between organics and Cybertronians, unveiling a conspiracy within her own government and a bloody cycle that has repeated itself every fifty thousand years. Her list of allies had certainly gotten weirder as well. She had a wisecracking pilot who also happened to be the best in the alliance, a black listed marine who was the granddaughter of general Williams, an L2 biotic whom despite appearing squeaky clean had his own dark past, a former Krogan tribe lord turned mercenary, a Turian C-Sec officer with a disdain for regulations, an alien diplomats daughter with a love for history and an army of minions/minicons.

'I swear, they sound just like minions when they talk to one another,' Shepard thought, watching two of the Minicons converse.

Then there was her co leader and his men. There was more to Optimus than what met the eye, he had secrets even he seemed to be ignorant of. Ironhide was a good soldier, Shepard would trust him in a fire fight with no problem. Ratchet however was puzzling, he was a good medic and he certainly had compassion behind his at times cold demeanour. But he seemed to feel guilty about something, it probably had something to do with being a medic, losing soldiers under his care. She made a mental note to ask Doctor Chakwas about it some time. Her focus however turned to the comm. station as she conversed with one of the key figures at alliance command. Admiral Hackett had been calling the Normandy discreetly over the past few days, communicating mainly through audio messages, in fact Cliff Jumper and Joker made the joke that Hackett wasn't actually real, that he was just some voice an 'evil guy in the shadows' was using. She knew better but she found the joke funny, in fact remembering it made her miss Cliff Jumper's humour and the other younger Autobots in general. Admiral Hackett was a career soldier, a lot like Anderson really, though Hackett had been an only child and pretty much an orphan at the age of twelve. He joined a training program for juveniles and quickly established an affinity for science and leadership. Ten years later he joined the alliance and took part in missions to colonise worlds beyond the Sol relay, then participated in the first contact war. His ascent from an enlisted to admiral was an inspiration and legend amongst servicemen and women in the alliance.

"Shepard, I'd ask you why you were diverging from your original flight path but your report mentioned the Newton system, you didn't mention a possible link to Akuze," Hackett explained.

"No sir, I wanted to confirm whether it was connected before I put it to paper, and I believe you may have tried to pull me off the mission because of 'personal investment', then I would invoke my spectre status and carry the mission out anyway, so I avoided the headache of this conversation altogether," Shepard stated, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Sometimes 'personal investment' is another word for drive, I relayed news of what happened to Admiral Kahoku's men to him, he's staying put right now but he isn't the problem. There are facilities within the Newton system were several alliance funded scientists have been found dead, nothing is confirmed yet but it could be connected to a project that had taken place on Akuze."

"I'm sorry sir I don't quite understand, I thought Akuze was a colonisation gone wrong," Shepard said.

"It was Shepard, but it was also a lot more complicated than that, scientists funded by the alliance established the colony on Akuze to study the venom from thresher maws for possible military application, it was a fairly simple mission, collecting the venom without waking the nest was easy but something went horribly wrong, leading to the events that put your team there, sabotage was suspected but never confirmed. Scientists whom had a connection to that project have been turning up dead over the past few days, the last scientist involved is Doctor Wayne, he's in the Newton system...we had suspicions that he's involved with Cerberus Shepard so he may not be as innocent as he appears, in fact none of the scientists may be true victims. Like you said before Shepard you're a spectre so you're free to deal with this as you see fit, I just wanted you to have all the facts first, Hackett out."

Shepard remained silent, letting Hackett's report sink in. Ironhide's hologram appeared on the station, he had a grim expression on his face.

"Classic military glitching, they know more than they let on but they only tell you when it's convenient for them," Ironhide said.

"I'm sure Hackett's only just found out too, it's not his fault, " Shepard said.

"Yeah, it's easy for people at the top to lose sight of the people at the bottom, the soldiers fighting on the front lines".

"Is that the voice of experience?" Shepard asked.

"Cogging right, back when the council of Primes was active Ah was part of the elite guard, never got past my first command though," Ironhide said.

"You seem like a capable soldier Hide, what happened?"

"Kaon," Ironhide lowered his head slightly. "We received Intel that riots had started in Kaon over living conditions, our orders were to go in and suppress the population and cull it if necessary," he explained.

"What? Your government was willing to kill a cities populace?"

"Yeah, our Intel was incorrect, the riots were in actuality protests, no violence was involved so far as we could tell, one of the gladiators at the arena refused to fight anymore, word of his defiance spread to the mining areas, the miners stopped mining, the workers at the docks stopped working, even a few guards stopped, well you get the point. Kaon is a cogging scrap heap, no one would want to live there, the Energon wells run deep and occasionally blue energon meets with red Energon, it makes for a really big bang which can destroy a few of the living units, which aren't as heavily fortified as living quarters in the upper class cities. A lot of the upper class look down on people from Kaon, all because of their red eyes, they abuse and enslave them and use them for entertainment like the arena, some even got turned into transport ships, stripped of all their free will unlike Sky Lynx. They could've resorted to violence eventually but they weren't fighting, they just refused to work anymore, the men were hesitant I could see it in their eyes."

"What did you do?" Shepard asked.

"I told the higher ups, they asked 'so, fulfil your mission elite guard, do as you're told', do you know what I did after that?" Ironhide asked.

"What?"

"I ordered my men to open fire on the populace, about two hundred people died, two hundred desperate Cybertronians our people, the people the elite guards were supposed to protect. The reality was that the elite guards weren't the heroic protectors of Cybertron, they were just the guards of Cybertron's elite," Ironhide explained.

He expected Shepard to look down on him, to tell him he had made a poor decision. She didn't look judgemental at all, she was shocked true but not judgemental. That in turn shocked Ironhide and she knew that.

"You were a soldier, a soldier following orders, if you hadn't done it they would have sent someone else, someone who wouldn't have been as gentle," she explained.

"Gentle? What we did was wrong, my men knew that and they would've stopped if I said so, maybe if people saw the elite guard actually do something besides protecting VIB's (very important bots) they would've banded together for a new system, one that treated everyone in Cybertron equally. But no, I chose to be a good soldier, to please our leaders and I didn't even make an excuse or apology for it, I just did it, and afterwards the results of our 'gentle culling' was civil revolt, the first Decepticon movement, Megatron led a few of his fellow gladiators in aggressive expansion of the Kaon region, he took a neighbouring city and a few VIB's hostage, aggressively negotiating for Kaon to have a place on the council, though Megatron himself never actually attended any council meetings, he was too busy establishing a centre for sparks to form outside of the red energon mines."

"So Kaon did eventually get better?" Shepard asked.

"Yes but at what cost?"

"Sometimes sacrifices are necessary, sometimes to make a better world you have to tear down barriers and outdated beliefs, and that can require conflict, Earth's history is filled with those kind of moments it's no surprise your world would be too," Shepard explained.

Ironhide nodded, agreeing with the commander to a certain point. His holographic form faded and Ironhide focused his attention on the weapon he had been upgraded. It was a cannon the equivalent of a shotgun, with a holographic sight added to it. Optimus flexed his new arm around before picking up his path blaster. Ever since his 'negotiation' with Grimlock, Optimus had been quiet, often going into a stasis and avoiding interaction all together. Even Ratchet couldn't get him to talk about what he had seen in his rage, and ever since he had known them Ironhide generally regarded Ratchet and Optimus to be his best friends. Ratchet checked over his blades before picking up a neutron assault rifle. Grimlock had been generous enough to give them old broken weapons, believing they would use the spare parts.

'He hasn't seen a weapon expert like me,' Ironhide grinned, imagining the shock on the bot's face when he discovered that not only had he repaired them using alliance parts, but they worked just as well as they did before.

Shepard went down to the cargo hold and began putting her armour on. Ever since Feros she had upgraded to heavy armour and began checking over her other weapons.

"What do we know about the planet Joker?" she asked.

"Nothing outside of the ordinary, there's no colony in this region but there is an outpost that runs deep, and judging from the region and what the last survey said I'd say they've done some expanding, take a look," Joker transferred the images to Shepard's Omni-tool.

She showed the images to her team mates, unlike traditional alliance facilities the surface of the base wasn't a simple round 'hut' but a facility that was as big as a twenty first century warehouse on the surface, with more underground. The main facility was stationed on the hilltop between the tip of the mountain and the ground, on the ground was a housing facility along with an empty garage.

"Okay then, Liara, Williams, Wrex I want you three to check out the storage warehouse, see what you can find and stay in radio contact, Kaidan and Garrus you two are with me we'll check out the main facility, Ratchet there's an elevator beside the main building maybe you could take that down to meet us, Optimus and Ironhide you two should feel free to check out the garage, see what they have hidden round there," Shepard explained.

"Ah have a bad feeling about this," Ironhide said.

"So long as we stick together we'll be fine, Autobots roll out," Optimus said as he transformed.

Ironhide transformed, opening his doors so that Wrex, Ashley and Liara could climb in. Liara played with the straps of her helmet, securing it to her head.

"Nervous?" Ironhide asked.

"I don't know why, we might not find anything," Liara said.

"Somehow I doubt we'll be that lucky," Ashley muttered.

"I don't know why you humans and Asari wish nothing would happen, if nothing ever happened life would be dull," Wrex said.

"Coming up on the facility now."

Joker opened the cargo hatch and three vehicles and their passengers drove out. Optimus activated thrusters on his belly to slow his fall, Ratchet opened a hatch on his back and released a parachute. Ironhide however slammed into the ground and drove down the hill, his vehicle form was sturdier than Optimus and Ratchet's. He drove to the warehouse, opening his doors and promptly transforming when his passengers exited. Ashley trailed her rifle over the door as Liara began hacking the door open.

"Be ready with a lift Wrex," Ashley said as she switched her rifle to its 'overkill' setting.

As they prepared themselves for breaching the door, Ironhide drove to the garage and transformed as he reached it. He activated his cannons, waiting for Optimus to arrive before investigating. Shepard and her team gathered at the door to the main facility whilst Ratchet stepped into the massive cargo elevator.

"They would haul something really big in to that elevator, better be careful Ratchet there could be tanks waiting down below," Shepard said over her radio.

"Give me a moment," Ratchet said as he touched several buttons on his wrist.

His gauntlets opened, releasing several metallic balls with wings like a hummingbird. They flew down the gaps on the elevator towards the bottom, releasing streams of red light as they hovered over the area. They were 'sweepers', machines of Ratchet's own design that could pick up movement and relay the data back to the user.

"No movement, though there are several cold signatures, dead bodies Shepard," the medic stated.

"By the goddess, someone has hit this place," Liara said.

"What's worth taking here anyway, there aren't even any perimeter defences, no mines or auto turrets," Wrex said.

"That's probably part of the defence, stealth, whoever built this facility wanted it to appear as normal as possible. There are no vehicles here Shepard, in fact there's no sign of there having actually been any vehicles here," Optimus explained.

"No tire tracks, not even scorch marks of a battle, everything appears to be normal," Ashley said as she and Liara breeched the warehouse.

Liara took out her pistol, moving behind Wrex and Ashley as they searched the area. They moved into a maze of storage boxes and crates. Liara checked the gaps for any signs of people and gasped, catching a faint glimmer of light that seemed to dart away upon being noticed. Ashley raised her hand, an order to stop. She pointed at a body on the floor, a doctor considering his uniform, the red and white colours indicated that he was primarily medical. Liara looked at the body nervously as Ashley walked over to check it. She put her fingers to the man's neck and nodded her head to her team mates. He was simply unconscious, breathing slowly and he had a bad bruise on his face but not enough to cause any real concern.

"What happened to him?" Wrex asked.

"Some kind of trauma to his face, he's still alive though," Liara said.

"Looks like some kind of ball hit him," Ashley noted.

The sudden sound of something clanging against the floor caused the group to raised their weapons. Liara's biotics flared briefly and she looked through the gaps of the boxes, gasping again as she saw that same light rush by. It slid across the floor and both Ashley and Wrex ran to pursue it.

"Shepard, there's something in here with us, something that knocked out one of the doctors...we found two more unconscious," Ashley's voice over the radio made Shepard quite nervous.

Not enough to make her arms shake as she raised his gun, covering the corners of the corridor she and her group walked through. It was very much an opposite to what Ashley's group had found. Shepard found a dead body at every corner she crossed, likewise Garrus found a few bodies ripped apart by a grenade explosion. Whatever they had been working on had also been destroyed as well, pieces of flesh and machinery had sprayed the floor and walls. As a detective Garrus got a picture of the crime scene and the events within his mind. The doctors had been working at a gurney, operating on a body and adding bits of machinery to it, prosthetics modified with technology Garrus had never seen before.

"Optimus, what am I looking at here?" Garrus asked, sending Optimus his visor's feed.

"It's completely wrecked but I'd say it's a link component of a combination matrix, the link component allows the consciousnesses of the combining warriors to merge, it's essential to a true fusion of Cybertronians," Optimus explained.

"Once you accept a combination matrix its becomes part of your being, and you can only combine with someone who shares the same type of combination matrix, for example none of the Stunticons would be able to combine with the Combaticons," Ironhide added.

"Let's keep lectures to a minimum gentlemen, can you make a guess as to what happened detective?" Ratchet asked.

"The doctors were adding the components to a body, they were in a sealed environment, no alarms went off so they had no idea there was an intruder. The intruder threw a HE grenade into the room, and...well you can guess the results, a lot of meat and circuits and no idea what they actually doing," Garrus explained.

Kaidan opened one of the blast doors and signalled an 'all clear' to Shepard. She walked into the room, looking at the dead bodies. They had taken rifle shots at their vital areas, but there was no indication of a fire fight. Grenades had been set at round cylinders, but the explosives were dud.

"Somebody bought cheap equipment, but they knew how to use them," Shepard said.

"A marine perhaps, a lot of deserters go for mercenary work," Kaidan suggested.

"Commander, someone was clearly trying to get rid of evidence but they didn't check where I am now, I'm sending you a view from my optics," Ratchet explained.

Shepard widened her eyes slightly, Ratchet was in a hanger of some kind. There were two incomplete mechs, the chassis's of two Geth Colossi merged with weaponry Shepard had never seen before.

"I'm not a weapons expert but I've seen some of these in Cybertronian museums, what have you found Optimus?" Ratchet asked.

"Just a fake garage with regular vehicles, nothing to suggest there's anything more to this facility," Optimus said.

"Perhaps the lack of defences and guards is part of the defence," Liara said.

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked.

"Everything you've found points to this facility having a lot of materials to work with but a lack of funding for personnel and equipment. With so few people knowing about this place the chances of a security leak is minimal and there's no significant credit trail you can follow back here," Liara explained.

"Looks like our Asari isn't just an expert on Protheans, didn't realise you could add information tracking to it as well," Shepard said.

"Yeah, maybe T'Soni is secretly the shadow broker," Garrus chuckled.

"We'd better watch it or Saren might buy her services," Kaidan said.

"No, I would never betray you to Saren...and I am not the..."

"They're joking Liara," Optimus said.

"By the goddess, I am sorry everyone it's just that Ashley and Wrex haven't found what's in this warehouse and..."

"AAAGH!"

"What's going on up there?" Shepard asked.

"That's Wrex, Ashley are you and Wrex all right?" Liara ran frantically through the corridors of crates and boxes, rushing around a corner with her pistol raised.

She lowered the weapon and looked at Wrex in confusion. The Krogan was hunched over, laughing with his finger pointed at the Asari.

"You should've seen the look on your face, you really think that whatever's been knocking these doctor's out could get the drop on me?" Wrex asked.

"Knock it off Wrex, keep on your guard Liara, only an idiot would joke around in a place like this," Ashley explained.

"Lighten up Williams, besides these humans have been knocked out, which suggests that two different things attacked their facility, either mercs with different methods or different objectives," Wrex said.

Ashley went to the upper floor of the warehouse, looking down at the boxes from the balcony. She saw Wrex and Liara standing together, but then saw something dash down the row of boxes next to them.

"Liara, Wrex, IT'S STILL IN HERE!" she yelled.

Liara activated her biotic barrier as the silver skinned creature rolled past her. It had smooth silver armour across its body, wheels on the ends of its feet and a helmet with antenna sticking out of the sides. The agile creature 'skated' around the intruders, removing a device from its waist. It was a handle attached to a simple V shape, but when the skater put its hand in the middle of the shape, two beams shot out of the tips of the V , joining with the palm of the skater's hand. The skater then pulled its hand back and let the beam go. In one fluid motion a ball of electricity launched from slingshot, striking Wrex's nose.

"OW!" the Krogan cried out, falling and landing on his bottom.

"HA! A lot more where that came from ugly," the skater said, wheeling backwards.

Suddenly, a biotic barrier surrounded the little robot, lifting it into the air. Ashley ran down to the ground floor, just in time to redirect Wrex's shotgun.

"Let me at the little monster," he growled, nursing the bruise on his nose.

"Stop pouting Wrex and back off, Shepard we've found what's been knocking out the scientists, its...a Minicon I think," Ashley said, looking at the robot unsure.

"A Minicon? A Minicon? I'm not a Minicon, I'm an Autobot," the little robot said.

"Impossible, this thing's half the size of the Minicons, Krogan babies are bigger than this thing," Wrex said.

"And I bet they're even uglier than you, you slagging meat bag!"

"Please calm down, we won't hurt you," Liara said.

"Yeah right, the one in the pink armour looks like those other things, but prettier," the Autobot said.

Liara turned the robot around so that she could look at his helmet. She saw that it wasn't actually wearing armour, the silver alloy was its skin, she knew so because of the times she saw Optimus without his red and blue armour on. This creature wasn't a soldier or a Minicon, he had the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. In fact Liara chided herself for not noticing him before. Ashley removed her helmet, planting both it and her rifle on the floor and signalling Liara to let the Autobot go. As soon as the little robot planted his feet on the ground he pulled back on the string of his slingshot, moving it between each of his possible targets.

"Don't come any closer, I was able to give this thing a bigger kick and I'm not afraid to use it," he said.

"It's all right, we're not here to hurt you and we're not with these people, we came here to find out what they were doing. Now I can tell they've mistreated you and any hatred you have for my species may be reasonable, but we aren't all like them," Ashley explained.

"So I should just trust you right?"

"No," Ashley said, causing her team mates and the Autobot to widen their eyes. "Trust shouldn't be freely given it should be earned, so keep your weapon close and keep your eyes on us, but also give us a chance to explain ourselves and maybe we might earn your trust. I can tell you from personal experience that if you give people a chance they can proof you wrong!"

The Autobot loosened his hold on the slingshot, lowering so that he wouldn't accidentally hit his supposed rescuers.

"Good job Williams...I wasn't actually expecting that from you," Shepard said.

"It helps when you've pretty much helped raise your baby sisters, Liara's right Shepard this isn't a Minicon, he's a kid!"

"A sparkling? All the way out here," Ratchet gasped.

Shepard and her team began looking at the labs they found. Though some were blown to bits they found intact bodies from a collection of species, human, Asari and Turian. It disturbed Garrus in particular when he saw a collection of implants had replaced one of his fellow Turian's face. Ratchet continued looking around the basement, analysing a few Makos fitted with Cybertronian tracks and cannons from an older, bulkier version of the path blaster Optimus used. He found a human shaped mech with chain guns for arms.

"These people were building prototypes, fusing your technology with ours," the medic snarled.

Kaidan walked over to a terminal, despite a bullet hole in the screen he was able to extract some data onto his Omni-tool codex. He signalled Shepard to come over to him. When she was close he turned off his radio and she did the same.

"This facility is Cerberus but they weren't going through alliance channels or funding, Liara was right, they used minimal credits and mostly traded what they had with providers. Look at this shipping manifest, cybernetic organs sent away in exchange for twenty intact bodies, provided by a Dr Heart," Kaidan explained.

Garrus look in Kaidan's direction and Shepard could tell that the name of the doctor had sparked something in the Turian. His teeth grinded together and his grip on his rifle tightened.

"Next report says progress was made on biosynthetic fusion, some data was unobtainable, something about a project Lazarus but what really caught my interest was this, 'COP, Cybernetic Organ Providers, now we haven't found any wreckage from Autobots or even Decepticons and I doubt their parts could be applied to an organic so they needed something...smaller," Kaidan's face turned white as he deactivated his Omni-tool.

Shepard had to control her anger, she felt like screaming, like hitting something that deserved to be hit.

"Ashley, take the kid outside to meet Optimus and Ironhide, give him some time before you ask him what was happening here," she explained to the chief.

Ashley nodded her head and smiled at the sparkling.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Wheelie, are the bad man going to get what they deserve?" the sparkling asked.

Ashley saw something in the child's eyes, and heard something in his voice that reminded her of her little sisters. She felt the urge to cry and hug him because she could see a shine in his eyes like tears. He rubbed his arms as if he was cold and looked at the ground distantly.

"I don't understand why I'm in pain, when they never got to do to me...what they did to...to everyone else," Wheelie fell to his knees and screamed.

Wrex stopped rubbing his nose and looked towards one of the scientists. The man was beginning to wake up, children were important to Krogan, a single child was considered more important than even a battle that pushed a Krogan warrior to his absolute limit. For whilst that single battle could pass quickly, the child would live and grow, would fulfill its potential. Wrex looked at the scientist, dazed and confused and imagined he was at that moment like the sparklings. The Krogan warrior strapped his shotgun to his waist and took a step towards the scientist. He stopped however when Ashley picked the man up and slammed his head against one of the boxes.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU PEOPLE DO!" she yelled, punching the man in the gut.

Liara diverted Wheelie's head and began walking him to the entrance.

"Alliance? Was a distress signal activated?" the scientist asked.

"The only answer I want to hear from you is an explanation, what the hell were you doing to the sparklings?" Ashley demanded, kneeing the man in the gut.

"Sparkling? Do you mean the drones, we were ordered to extract their vital systems and..."

"WRONG ANSWER!" Ashley yelled.

She shoved the scientist to the floor and put his hands behind his back. Then she bound them with Omni-cuffs and pulled him to his feet.

"They weren't drones you ignorant bastard, they were children," she snarled as she pushed him to the entrance.

"It would've been easier to just kill him," Wrex said.

"Believe me right now there's nothing more I want to do than blow this place to hell with everyone of these bastards in it," Ashley said.

"Then why not just do it?"

"Because we're the ones following principles Wrex, they aren't," Optimus said as he and Ironhide walked over to the warehouse.

Wheelie looked up at the two warriors in awe, the pain from his trauma momentarily forgotten. Optimus decided not to question the sparkling and linked with Ratchet.

"Ratchet, get to the elevator, Shepard and her team can handle the rest," he said.

"Wait Optimus, I don't think Shepard needs to bother I've just seen something," Ratchet said.

The medic moved around one of the useless mechs and looked into the distance. A scientist was hiding amongst a group of humanoid robots, more advanced than the planned Loki mechs. The medic then saw who the man was hiding from, a well built man in grey and green medium weight armour. Ratchet was about to chase after them when he saw something in his field of vision, a pile of some sort. He moved over to investigate, ignoring Optimus's orders to return to the elevator. What he found shocked him, and he was a difficult Autobot to shock. The remains of sparklings had been abandoned in a pile, little bodies with their chests torn open, missing eyes and even fingers. Ratchet fell to his knees, his hands shaking as he touched the remains, they slipped out of fingers like sand on a human's hands. He squeezed his hands into fists and slammed them into the ground.

"Please help me," Ratchet whipped his head around, looking towards the human scientist and the armoured man.

Shepard and her team were facing both men down with their weapons drawn. The soldier had a pistol aimed at the scientist's head. He looked at Shepard, slightly shocked by her appearance.

"Shepard?"

"Toombs, how are you still alive?" Shepard asked, lowering her pistol.

"The Thresher maws dragged me under, I survived but I was picked up by Doctor Wayne and his people, Cerberus," Toombs growled out the name as if it caused him pain.

"I'm doing important research for the alliance, please help me this man's insane," the scientist, Doctor Wayne pleaded.

"Better drop the work for the alliance part asshole," Shepard said.

"She was there, she knows what happened you bastard. Cerberus captured me, treated me like a lab animal, it turns out they were the ones responsible for the Thresher maws, they led them to us so they could see what happens. Then they spent the next year feeding me maw poison, just to see what happens," Toombs looked like a broken man, tears were running down his face and his hand was shaking. "Everything we endured was his fault, he needs to die, for you, for me and for the rest of the unit!"

"I don't care about what he did to the unit," Shepard snarled, turning her pistol on Doctor Wayne.

Toombs looked at Shepard in shock, the same way her team mates looked after hearing what she said over the radio.

"We're soldiers Toombs, this is the life we lead, we endure the hardships and make the tough calls, we sacrifice and compromise so that other people don't have to. It's when people like him force their sick and twisted experiments on innocents when we should get angry."

"What are you talking about?" Toombs asked.

"Do you even know what's going on out there Toombs? We're on the verge of another first contact war, a new species is emerging and these bastards have been using that species young as spare parts."

"Those robots? But they're just drones mimicking human behaviour, right?"

"You were never this ignorant Toombs, those 'robots' were people, living things with potential and this bastard used them for experiments," Shepard took a few steps closer, levelling her pistol on Dr Wayne's head

"This is ridiculous, I demand a trial," he said.

"I'm a spectre," Shepard grinned.

"NO!"

The group turned to see Ratchet walking towards Doctor Wayne. There was a look of anger on the medic's face Shepard had never seen on him before.

"You have no right to punish this man, THAT RIGHT IS OURS!" Ratchet yelled.

"RATCHET STAND DOWN!" Optimus yelled.

Ratchet stopped a few inches from Doctor Wayne. The man was crawling away, grabbing the leg of one of his mechs like a shield.

"Optimus, why are you protecting him?" Ratchet asked.

"I'm not protecting him Ratchet, I'm protecting you, and Shepard and Toombs as well, we're better than him," Optimus said.

Toombs had his pistol aimed at Ratchet and looked at Optimus holographic form in shock.

"They're monsters, just like what they were building," he said.

"WE ARE NOT MONSTERS! NOR ARE WE MACHINES! We are Cybertronians, you see we don't use false titles like your kind do, Doctors," Ratchet scoffed, looking down at Dr Wayne. "Doctors heal, what have you done than ruin lives?"

"I had no idea, I had no idea what they were, I was just using what I was provided," Dr Wayne said.

"YOU'RE LYING!" Ratchet yelled.

"Ratchet please stop, all of you just stop," Optimus said.

"You're forgiving them, AFTER WHAT THEY DID TO MY FRIENDS!" Wheelie yelled.

Even Liara looked at Optimus sceptically, Ironhide especially looked like he wanted to encourage Ratchet and Shepard to kill the doctor.

"I am not forgiving them, I cannot forgive them or absolve them of their crimes, they will pay for their crimes probably with their lives, but we will not be the executioners. We have all of the evidence that we need, this man will pay and the whole galaxy will see that we can be victims too," Optimus explained.

"Worse, you would have us appear as the victims, as weaklings who couldn't see our convictions through," Ironhide said.

"No, we would show the galaxy that we respect the laws that matter, that we would put criminals like him on trial so that the entire galaxy can see that monsters can't hide, that we are better than the monsters."

"Listen to yourself Optimus," Ratchet laughed for a moment as he glared at Dr Wayne. "We are soldiers not heroes Optimus, we've done horrible things, even you, even if you don't remember them," he snarled.

"What do you mean by that Ratchet?" Ironhide asked.

"That doesn't matter, what we do know and from this point forward matters, because winning the war isn't enough, self satisfaction isn't enough. This man has information that can lead us the people who gave him orders and the people who gave them orders. We know that our technology has been found in this galaxy and is being used and modified by organisations whose greatest weapon is secrecy, the shadows, but we can bring those crimes to light with trials like what will happen to this man."

"Fuck that, he has to pay for what he's done!" Toombs said.

"Killing him will not take away your pain Toombs, I can't say whether anything ever will but you don't need to become him to justice for your comrades and it's the same for you too Shepard. You may deny it but you want Wayne dead just as much for your men as you do for the Sparklings!"

"Optimus, I get what you're saying but it won't work out how you think there will be political red tape, he'll cut deals, he won't get the punishment he deserves," Shepard said.

Optimus lowered his head and sighed.

"We have to be better," he said.

"AGAIN WITH THIS BEING BETTER! YOU'RE NO DIFFERENT OPTIMUS!" Ratchet yelled.

"Maybe, maybe I'm no different from him, but I'm trying to be, being a better person than the one you fight isn't just about thinking or even knowing, or even about other people saying that you're better, it's about actually **being** better, about embodying certain standards of behaviour. We need to be better, otherwise we're no better than machines and you're the one who keeps saying that we're not machines, I know you're better than this Ratchet, you're a doctor not an executioner," Optimus explained.

Ratchet let out a scream before stomping his foot against the ground. He began walking away from Dr Wayne.

"You were a soldier once Toombs, I know you can be a good soldier again that you can protect people. I can't say whether the pain will go away, but I can at least try to help in any way I can," Optimus said.

"Why would you help me?" Toombs asked.

"Because I'm better than them!"

"Optimus you..."

"Shepard, I know you can be better too," the Autobot leader said.

Shepard lowered her pistol and walked over to Dr Wayne, she bound his arms with Omni-cuffs and lifted him onto his feet.

"Joker, send a message to Alliance command, I want a ship to pick up Wayne and Toombs, we're ready for a pick up," she said before turning to Toombs. "I didn't just get out of Akuze with a few scratches and a scary reputation Toombs, I hear the screams too!"

"Do they ever stop?" he asked.

"It gets better, eventually," Shepard sighed, it was the only answer she could give.

On the surface, Optimus looked up at the sky. He touched his chest, feeling a pain in his chest. For some reason he felt very sad for a reason beyond the deaths of a few sparklings. But then he remembered Shepard's words and the similarities to his own.

"It gets better," he whispered to himself.

Next Chapter 19: Repairing damage done

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><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I wanted to establish the barbarity and ignorance of Cerberus at times, as well as how our heroes have the potential to cross lines out of anger. Optimus however was the voice of morality, even when everyone else disagreed with him, which is what the characters all about, taking the moral high ground. In this he admits he's no better, but he's trying to be.<p>

I also wanted to introduce a Wheelie we hadn't seen before, he's like his G1 counterpart in his choice of weapon (and I'm going nowhere near the Movie Wheelie) but he's a more realistic take, he's a child basically whose been thrown into a war. There's no guarantee that he'll get out of the war without a psychological scar or two, or if he'll even get out alive.

Next time we split scenes between Tali and the Normandy as Shepard and Ashley question Wheelie, Ironhide confronts Ratchet about Optimus's past and Tali struggles desperately to revive Blaster, with Bumblebee's life in the balance.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

Update came much quicker this time :), this chapter came out much longer than I expected, so don't expect a complete resolution, in fact this chapter might just give you more questions :)

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><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 19: Repairing damage done

Since leaving the sickening facility, Shepard had done her best to distract herself from the repercussions of the mission. She carried out target practice, read reports, even looked over the full contents of her codex. But she couldn't get what she had seen out of her mind, nor could she forget the feeling of wanting to kill a man more than anything, damned the consequences. Optimus had been right, from a certain point of view, Dr Wayne was the worst kind of scum for what he did to Toombs and the Sparklings. But there were still questions that needed to be answered, crimes to be brought to light. Wayne was a physical piece of evidence that would be vital in the fight against Cerberus. What finally distracted Shepard from the memories of Akuze and the piled up remains of Cybertronian children was reading about Cerberus. Their cover was as a black ops organisation, but lately there had been a surge of pro human propaganda. They're weren't Terra Firma but a supporter to some degree, Terra Firma was also about human domination over other races. Shepard discovered through her Spectre access that Cerberus was the party suspected of numerous inhuman experiments discovered across Citadel space, acts of sabotage against the council race species and they even had a growing shadow over the Terminus systems. A spectre by the name of Jodam Bau had provided her with reports of suspected Cerberus sites in the Terminus found during deep cover missions.

'Somewhere out there are people who work for Cerberus, who carry out these experiments for the 'good of humanity', who protect these facilities because they think the work benefits humanity, beyond them are funders who throw their money at a cause without taking the time to find out about the methods, or who just don't care about the methods. Then even further beyond them is a founder, a mastermind, someone who started the whole thing, whom gives the orders or worse gives his operatives full autonomy to do as they please without limits or accountability, someone who doesn't take responsibility, whom hides from the law!'

Shepard thought of that man, or perhaps a woman. To her she didn't care whether it was a single human or three (to match the name). Optimus was right in the fact that Cerberus didn't just needed to be beaten in fights but in courts as well. The alliance needed to win minds, to turn those whom considered Cerberus a necessity, to show them a better way. The Autobot leader was that example, Shepard however thought of the illusive leader of Cerberus.

'Whoever they are, wherever they hide I will find them,' she rubbed the grip of her pistol, 'And give him fifty bullets for every family's life ruined by Akuze, and more for the other lives they've ruined!'

Though she also wondered whether she could take responsibility for her decisions if they proved to be disastrous. She recalled a conversation she and Garrus had, about how he joined C-sec, which led to his father and his father's belief in law and accountability. Garrus's father hated the idea of Spectres having a pass to carry out missions without the limits of the law, to have no accountability. For while Shepard knew she could do good by going outside the law, she wondered what her limit was, how long before she would be like Saren, Rodimus or Megatron?

'Tell yourself that reasons and results matter and eventually it'll be easy to perform any kind of atrocity, you lose yourself,' Shepard remembered how Optimus and his crew often spoke of Megatron as a folk hero and freedom fighter.

Yet he was the leader of a band of renegades and criminals, people whom lacked morals or saw the world in a way most civilians would find monstrous.

'You're not exactly an angel Shepard, you've gone to dark places just to survive,' she told herself.

She wasn't proud of her past, yet it had made her stronger in ways growing up in a colony or a military family hadn't. Yet there were days when Shepard envied those two lives of family and comfort.

"Are you all right?"

Shepard removed her hand from her gun and looked to the doorway. Kaidan stood there, his arms crossed as he leant against the doorframe.

"Yeah, that mission...it definitely tops Akuze," Shepard said.

"I think after that horror just now, anything else we see will be tame in comparison," the biotic agreed.

"I mean...children as parts? I didn't think anyone could be so sick as to use children like that, not even the Batarians were that sick and I wanted to think that humanity had come far enough to know a children's cries," Shepard sighed as she stood up.

"The important thing is that we stopped it, Admiral Kahoku has arrived, he's taken Wayne and Toombs into custody, Wayne will help Kahoku track down other Cerberus facilities and Toombs can finally start getting the help he needs," Kaidan explained.

"I want to get a sense of where the crews at Kaidan, what have you heard in the mess?" she asked.

"Garrus, Wrex and Liara have all proven themselves, and a lot of the crew miss Tali and the 'fun bots' as Joker said. Ratchet's a little intimidating and the Minicons can be annoying sometimes despite their usefulness. The crew likes Ironhide and there are mixed opinions on Optimus."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of people find Optimus too intense, they saw how brutal he's been in battle and they think these black outs he has are a liability. Then there are the people who see him as an inspiration, there's already an Extra-net blog with two million followers, people respect him for calling the council out on their policies and they find his morals appealing," Kaidan explained.

"But there are those who feel differently about it," Shepard assumed.

"Yeah, some people find Optimus to be true naive, and there are conspiracy theorists too, they think he's trying to win people over so that his attempts to overthrow the council are that much easier."

"People really think he's trying to replace the council, to put himself on top as the primary leader?"

"It's a ridiculous theory for the people who know him."

Shepard nodded in agreement, though privately she wondered whether Optimus really was hiding something.

"What do you think of Optimus Kaidan, of the Autobots in general?"

Kaidan hesitated for a moment, as if he was surprised that Shepard wanted his opinion. She simply smiled, putting her hands on her hips as she waited. There was the flicker of a smile at the corner of his mouth, though he tried to appear as the professional soldier following his superiors orders. In truth he was glad Shepard was interested in his opinion.

"The Autobots and Decepticons, at first I thought of them like I did aliens, it was like being a teenager again because I thought they were weird, different from me or you. But like Vrynnus it was Optimus who showed me how human the Cybertronians can be, like aliens they aren't different or special, they're saints and jerks just like us and Optimus...he'd probably be the first to admit he isn't a saint, but he's trying to be and if more people followed his moral code the history of a lot of species would be a lot less bloody," the biotic explained.

"Do you think I did the right thing following Optimus's advice?" Shepard asked.

"I don't think there is a right thing when it comes to that, it all depends on the individual, some might enjoy giving him what he deserves, others might not," Kaidan said.

"You said Vrynnus got his, what happened?"

Kaidan lowered his head and took a seat.

"Vrynnus started using exhaustion tactics on the trainees, me and a few others had gone without water rations. He taunted one of the trainees, Rahna, floated a glass of water right in front of her. We all told her not to reach for it but she did," a pained expression crossed Kaidan's face as he looked up at Shepard. "He broke her arm, called her pathetic for not reaching for it biotically, I just stood up, didn't say or do anything but Vrynnus was pissed, he beat the crap out of me. After a few hits I defended myself, but every time I struck up a barrier he would tear it away, he seemed determined to cripple me. Then he drew a knife, nearly cut my chest open," the biotic pulled his shirt up slightly, showing a vicious scar on his right side.

Shepard gasped, she always thought that N7 training was brutal but the training at BAAT was outright abuse. She hadn't liked the Turian the moment Kaidan started talking about him. She had been hoping for a bad ending for him, but that changed when she saw the guilty expression on Kaidan's face.

"I snapped, landed a biotic kick right on his face, snapped his neck, by the time the medics got to him he was already dead. My first kill and it wasn't even on the battlefield, I got pay back when I didn't even want it, everyone looked at me differently then, I don't keep in touch with anyone from BAAT now. I know he would've killed me but looking back I sometimes wish I had the experience I have now back then, back then I was just a kid acting on instinct," he explained.

"You did the only thing you could do, he was perfectly happy killing you because you were human," Shepard said.

"Sometimes you just have to be the bigger man...person," Kaidan corrected himself as Shepard frowned.

"I know, but sometimes you have to stand and fight, it doesn't make it right, it doesn't make you better but sometimes it just needs doing," Shepard explained.

"And where do you draw the line Shepard?" Kaidan asked.

"I'm still asking that question," Shepard sighed.

She realised it took a certain mindset for someone to kill for revenge. Sometimes people needed rough justice, and if it meant sparing decent people like Kaidan the burden of guilt then Shepard would gladly pull the trigger herself.

"Has Hackett called?" she asked.

"No, he pretty much agreed to leave Wheelie to you, says an interview would be best carried out by a face he's already familiar with. Except he didn't want Optimus or any of the other Autobots speaking with him either, do you think the alliance had something to do with this Shepard?" Kaidan asked.

"Maybe not knowingly, I think Hackett wants us to at least have plausible deniability, or he wants a neutral party to find out whether there was an alliance presence here besides Cerberus, I don't tolerate corruption in the ranks, Admiral Kahoku's the same but he's got a fleet full of potential spies," Shepard explained.

"Fair enough, Liara wanted to talk to you too about what we and Ratchet found at the facility, she's in the medical bay," Kaidan said.

Shepard nodded her head and walked to Liara's temporary quarters next to the medical bay. The Asari had set up a console with a miniature version of Ratchet's holographic form on there. Strangely Sparkplug was also sat next to the doctor, the Minicon looked at Shepard curiously.

"Oh Sparkplug how could you, Optimus would be heartbroken," Shepard joked.

It was lost on the Minicon however.

"Sparkplug is here to assist me in understanding the structure of Minicons in comparison to the robots you found in the underground facility. Ratchet has been collaborating with me and I believe we may have a theory concerning what those machines were," Liara explained.

"The Geth machines and vehicles we found were failed prototypes, an attempt to mix mass effect technology with energon, there was a certain degree of success with the foot soldiers though," Ratchet began, creating a separate hologram that showcased the humanoid robots they found. "What you are looking at was labelled a 'Hunter class drone' formed from combining organs from a Sparkling with a Human, the skin was replaced with a Veridium alloy, hard points on the joints have Biotic implants injected, though that's not the case with all the drones, the eyes and skull were torn away in place of a custom HUD that uses Cybertronian processors and Omni-tool technology, creating an interface system that is a fusion of our technology and yours. Rocket boosters are located on the back and in the boots allowing a hover mode or a quick jump to a higher level, the subject's nervous system is still connected to the armour, so they process pain and feel to as much the same degree as a human would, though they would have a much greater threshold, excretory and reproductive systems have also been removed of course."

The Hunter resembled a human male in terms of the body shape, its armour consisted of black plates that covered the entire body, save for the head, the HUD that Ratchet described was an aerodynamic plate covering the face. Shepard remembered that some of the drones had hair.

"Next we have Avians, they're Turian hybrids, sharing much of the same systems as the Hunter class, but with additions, they aren't as manoeuvrable as their human based counterparts but they make up for it with their flight capabilities, or at least glide they were never tested," the Avian models had the same body shape as Turians, and like the Hunters their skin had been replaced with armour, the heads had also been torn away and replaced with a head based on a pterodactyl, wings were also located underneath their armpits and their feet had talons attached to the toes.

"Now we have the Valkyries, Asari Hybrids," to Cerberus's credit the Asari were mostly intact, save for their spines had been replaced with metallic spines with glowing lights running through them, they had also been encased in suits with blue lines glowing across the limbs and up towards the face, their eyes had been replaced with the same Aerodynamic plate the Hunter's possessed, but it was smaller and didn't cover their mouths. "Most of the modifications are internal to boost the Asari's natural biotics, like the Hunters they're capable of still using biotics despite their extensive cybernetic fusion. Their biotics however are much greater, near limitless actually, according to the files they were still capable of initiating mind melds but the reproduction aspect was removed in favour of an uplink process, they could download data from an organic as well as we could from any computer."

"So they take an organic and get rid of anything that defines them as an organic," Shepard said.

"Yes, they had plans for Krogan too but weren't able to get any bodies, as for why they weren't working they theorised it had something to do with Cybertronian cybernetics being incompatible with brains, but that wasn't it at all," Ratchet huffed, despising Cerberus's science as much as their lack of ethics.

"They made the mistake of thinking of this from a mechanical side, they saw their subjects as nothing but machines," Liara elaborated.

"But Cybertronians are by no means simple machines," Shepard said.

"Exactly, they weren't thinking of this from a spiritual point of view, the people are still alive, they simply need a form of energon significant enough to not only evenly power their bodies but to awaken their consciousnesses as well," Ratchet explained.

"So they're kind of like organics would be when they're in a coma, their bodies work but they aren't completely aware?" Shepard asked.

"A close enough comparison, ultimately it is Cerberus's ignorance that keeps them from succeeding in their goals."

"But just imagine the damage Cerberus could do if they actually succeeded in activating them," Liara said.

"Not much," Ratchet scoffed. "Even if they had found a way to activate them, they would not be able to control them, because they are not drones, they're still capable of independent thought...true alteration of a Cybertronian's mind hasn't been achieved since...since a very despicable case long before even your ancestors existed," the medic lowered his head before shutting the connection down.

"That was odd," Liara said, "We hadn't finished, Ratchet was supposed to mention the data we found on Cerberus archives, Optimus had us download all the data relevant to the procedures they carried out and their projected results so..."

"I get the point of it Liara, Optimus wanted the Alliance to have data relevant to persecuting and tracking Cerberus but not to reproducing their work," Shepard said.

"I'm glad you understand Shepard, Optimus would like a report on how your interview with Wheelie goes, I'll be collaborating with Optimus to make arrangements for Noveria," Liara explained.

"Good idea, we don't want to leave the Autobots behind in case Benezia and Saren aren't at the port," Shepard nodded before walking out of the medical bay.

Liara turned to her work station, looking at herself in the reflection of the screen. Sparkplug tilted his head in confusion over the Asari checking her skin and head tails. She took a deep breath and then typed a few commands into the console. As the projector activated, Liara stood up and faced a hologram of Optimus, modified so that they would be the same height.

"Doctor T'Soni, things were very...dark down there, are you all right?" he asked.

"I am fine Optimus, it's you I'm worried about, they were your people down there, your young," Liara said.

"Worse were done to sparklings during the war with the Protheans, entire trees of incubation chambers were wiped out, there was even a period when Protheans systematically freed Sparkling prisoners, only to detonate bombs they installed inside them once they reached cities," Optimus explained.

"By the goddess!"

An awkward silence hung over the two as both realised they had taken the conversation to an area they didn't want to be.

"Your mother will be at Noveria Liara, are you sure you can face her?" Optimus asked.

"I don't know, Benezia always said that the Asari should be more involved in galactic events, but this...I know she joined Saren to guide him down a gentler path but surely she would have left him once she realised the gravity of the reaper plans and the Fallen. She is not the kind of person to do something cruel because she believes it will benefit our race, true she acts cold and can be intimidating in politics but she is not a killer or evil."

"We cannot claim any of our enemies are evil, Rodimus was once Hot Rod, an earnest Autobot popular with his friends and a joker at heart, Megatron was once a proud and honourable warrior who fought for freedom. We all begin our lives as something else, I don't believe that Saren or Benezia are evil, they are simply doing what they believe is the best course of action for their people even though they've gotten lost along the way," Optimus explained.

"I know, we've already made arrangements for Noveria, why don't we talk about something else?" Liara asked.

"Wouldn't you rather speak with Shepard?" Optimus enquired.

"No, I admire Shepard and she has been good to me but..."

"You still aren't trusted?"

"No, goddess no, Shepard and her crew have welcomed me with open arms, no one doubts my loyalty anymore it's just...I'm not very good with people, even before spending fifty years on my own, I always say something stupid to mess things up," Liara explained.

"I can relate, if my crew and I had met outside the battlefield we probably wouldn't have been friends," Optimus said.

"What do you mean?" Liara asked.

"I have very specifics standards, a lot of people can find me preachy, I'm not good at social talks."

"Sometimes solitude can be better, I've been like this even before I became an archaeologist. A lot is expected of Matriarch's daughters, Matriarchs lead our people into the future, I however was more interested in the past. In fact it's possible I became an archaeologist just to spite Benezia."

"I can't believe that, and I'm sure if your mother truly disapproved then nothing would have stopped her from changing your mind about your work," Optimus said.

"That's true, she had encouraged me, in fact she kindled my interest of the past when she took me to a museum in Armali, we have many Prothean relics gathered there, ever since then I was always interested in discovering what the Protheans were really like. Your people have painted a very different picture than what I imagined Optimus, that is why I find your people so fascinating, to have actually lived during the time of the Protheans!"

Optimus crossed his arms and chuckled.

"It sounds like you want to join Cerberus in dissecting us," he said.

"What? No I...I can assure you Optimus I would never dream of that," Liara explained, her voice overcome with shock and fear. "I didn't mean to insinuate, I mean I didn't mean to offend you I was simply stating you, I mean your people would be good subjects for an in-depth study...by the goddess that sounds worse."

The Autobot leader then rolled his head back and laughed, causing Liara to blush.

"Don't worry Liara I was just joking, that's why I don't get on with other people outside of work, I always embarrass someone or try to make a joke that just comes off as inappropriate."

"And you must think I'm a complete fool, this is why I prefer data pads and computers," Liara sighed.

"I'd like to think I'm a lot better than a computer," Optimus chuckled.

"Fool me once Optimus Prime..."

"Do not call me that," Optimus snarled.

Liara's smile faded at the sudden fierceness in Optimus's voice. He noticed his sudden change as well and shocked, cut the connection. The Asari sat at her desk and smacked it in frustration. She looked over at Sparkplug, who was already on his feet and rubbing her back.

"You said something stupid again T'Soni," she lowered her head and lost herself in her work.

* * *

><p>In the cargo hold, Optimus was already transforming to vehicle form, entering stasis so he could calm himself and attempt to process more of his scattered memories. Ratchet looked over his commander, Ironhide noticed the guilty expression on the medic's face and gripped his shoulder.<p>

"Things got pretty heavy down there," he said.

"It wasn't 'heavy' Ironhide it was slagging tragic, but now we can get back to the bigger issue, taking down Saren and the Fallen," Ratchet said, brushing Ironhide's hand away and walking to his repair drones.

"Cerberus might become a bigger problem down the road," Ironhide said.

"Obviously, but our priority right now has to be tracking down Saren and the Fallen before they find the conduit, everything else is secondary."

The medic began making adjustments to the repair drones, repairing some minor damages and replacing old parts. He tried to ignore the judgmental look Ironhide had on his face. Ironhide continued to stand behind Ratchet, looking at the back of his head.

"Do you have a problem with me Ironhide?" he asked.

"No, do you have a problem?" Ironhide asked.

"What are you getting at?" Ratchet turned to Ironhide and glared at the weapons expert.

"Back there you were going to kill that Cerberus scientist even when Prahm gave you a direct order to stand down. Now before you say anything I understand the urge, but you were taking it more personal than you should have, I would've tried to kill him to, but if Optimus or any superior gives me an order I obey it because my superior has a better view than I do. That scientist is part of a collective, Cerberus is an organisation that has to be fought as a whole, not one body at a time," Ironhide explained.

"You've always been a good soldier Ironhide, the people of Kaon understand what happens when good soldiers follow orders without question," Ratchet scoffed.

"I was a soldier, I'm the first to pick a gun as the response to a problem, but that shouldn't be you Ratchet, you are a doctor after all unless you've been lying to us about it," Ironhide said.

"I am a doctor never doubt that," the medic shot back.

"Really? You couldn't keep Blaster out of stasis, you couldn't link Arcee's legs back together, you seem to be at best a patch worker Ratchet. Someone who keeps a soldier going until proper medical help can get to them, or worse an inspector, someone who picks whose worth saving and whose not, like the humans at Eden Prime and Feros."

"That's all military doctoring is Ironhide, making decision after decision for the benefit of the unit, I get that Optimus understands that and is trying for it to not be the case. I have no problem with his methods and I have no problem with you Ironhide, it was just a momentary lapse in judgement," Ratchet explained, trying to divert his attention back to his work.

"I don't think so," Ironhide said, grabbing Ratchet again and pushing him against the wall.

The exchange wasn't going unnoticed by the rest of the Normandy crew, whom looked at the two Autobots in shock. Even Wrex wasn't eager to see a fight erupt between them, because he could tell that the exchange was serious.

"You seemed to despise what Cerberus was doing more so than Optimus and I Ratchet, so tell me why?" Ironhide asked, looking the medic in the eyes. "Why did you accuse Optimus of being no better than the rest of us? You haven't known him any longer than I have Ratchet so what do you know that I don't? What are you hiding about Optimus's past?"

Ratchet and Ironhide glared at one another, the fact that everyone there had taken interest also seemed nothing to them.

* * *

><p>Hope seemed to be diminishing throughout the galaxy. Friendship too was dying, it was just a literal case on the Planet of Tarkin five. Its bleak and rocky surface matched the mood of the Autobots, and the rain just made it worse. Arcee rested her head on Cliff Jumper's discoloured remains, gripping what remained of his hands. Jazz stood with the young Autobot, speechless for once. Jetfire and Prowl did their best to move Bumblebee to shelter, oil leaked from the Autobot's wounds and sounds croaked from his throat. Warpath arrived and looked at Rodimus's remains in shock.<p>

"Rodimus, no...not you," he said.

"WHO SLAGGING CARES ABOUT THAT!" Arcee yelled, rolling over to glare at Warpath. "Your great leader was a traitor, worse than Megatron, he led his men into a massacre, killed Cup and now one of my best friends is dead. You can keep looking at Rodimus Prime as if he was a great example of what all Primes should be, but it will never change the fact that he was a MURDERING TRAITOR WHO NOW BURNS IN THE PIT!"

"Arcee please try to calm down," Jazz said.

"DONT YOU EVER TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!"

"ENOUGH!"

The Autobots turned to look at Jetfire, who was helping Bumblebee to stand. Bumblebee's eyes were narrowed in a fierce gaze at Arcee.

"That's what he's saying, enough, stop fighting amongst one another, stop taking out our grief on one another. We will have time to properly mourn Cliff Jumper's death and to celebrate his life, but now is not the time for us to give into despair and that's exactly what Cliff Jumper would have said. He would've told us to keep going forward and..." Jetfire stopped talking as Bumblebee raised his hand.

The scout moved is arm across, as if he was rolling it across a rocky landscape. He kept on repeating that motion even as he fell to the floor, Energon spilling from his exposed chest plate.

"What was he trying to say?" Warpath asked.

"Probably what Optimus would say, we keep going forward, we roll out," Jetfire said.

Bumblebee's hand shook and he instinctively grabbed Jetfire's hand.

"It's all right, just hold on Bumblebee, just hold on," the aerial bot repeated as Bumblebee squeezed his hand.

Arcee looked at the struggling scout, the only friend she had left and then at Sky Lynx. Inside the formerly grand transport bot was a Quarian, a Quarian whom had yet to earn Arcee's trust. Bumblebee however looked at where Tali was working not with scepticism, but with a faith his other friends didn't have.

'Focus Tali, lives are at stake, focus,' Tali thought, rubbing her wrists nervously.

The importance of her task and all it required had hit her and like always the enormity and the responsibility made Tali feel as if she was choking. But she didn't joke, she didn't run away, that was an option she never had, both in terms of how her father raised her and literal. There was no fleeing a technical problem on a Quarian ship, you either fixed it or the ship suffered. If the communications system was damaged you had to repair it because if another system failed you wouldn't be able to call another ship in the fleet for support. The communication system was broken, the ship was stranded and the most crucial system of the Autobots was dying. If Bumblebee died so would their hope.

"Okay, Sky Lynx does the medical bay equipment still have power?" she asked.

"Naturally," the Autobot said.

"Here's what I need then," Tali narrowed her eyes as she looked at Blaster. "Let's wake this Bosh'Tet up!"

* * *

><p>Shepard entered the briefing room and smiled at Wheelie. The little Autobot was sitting on the floor, playing Shattered Eezo on an Omni-tool Ashley had given him. Ashley linked their games together, with Wheelie playing as the orange Loki and her playing the blue.<p>

"AGH PIT!" Wheelie yelled as his mech's head was knocked off.

"I knew I would beat you at some point kid," Ashley said.

"Best three out of five remember," Wheelie said.

Shepard cleared her throat, catching the gamers attention. Ashley stayed on the floor, putting her Omni-tool away and looking at Wheelie with her best big sister look. The progress Ashley had made in how she saw aliens astonished Shepard. She was treating Wheelie like what he was, a child who had been through a traumatic event.

"Wheelie, I'm Commander Shepard," she said, kneeling in front of Wheelie.

"Commander Shepard, what's your last name then?" Wheelie asked.

"Shepard is my last name."

"So your full name is Commander Shepard, I'm so sorry," Wheelie said, causing Ashley to fight back a laugh.

"Jane, my first name is Jane Wheelie, you can call me Jane, Commander or Shepard, whatever makes you feel comfortable," Shepard said.

Wheelie looked at the floor, deactivating his Omni-tool and placing his hands on his knees.

"Am I a prisoner here Shepard?" he asked.

He tried to sound serious, but still came off like a scared child. Shepard shook her head to answer his question and Ashley elaborated:

"You are not a prisoner Wheelie, we're keeping you here to protect you, the galaxy is a dangerous place at the moment and we don't know who we can trust in the alliance or even on the Citadel. But with your help we might just get one step closer to figuring out who the bad guys are in all this," the chief explained.

"Okay, if it helps I'll tell you what I can," Wheelie said.

Shepard nodded and activated her Omni-tool, she created holograms of Saren, Rodimus, the Fallen and Benezia.

"Do you recognise any of these people?" she asked.

"The blue one looks like your blue friend, are they related?" Wheelie asked.

"They are actually, how could you tell besides the obvious?"

"Well it was obvious!"

"Some Asari might take offence to that," Ashley said.

"No this isn't one of those 'they all look the same' things, they have similar facial structures, position of their eyes, similar nose shape and skin pigmentation and round things," Wheelie explained.

"Round things?" Shepard and Ashley both raised their eyes in confusion.

"Yeah, you both have them too, though they're nowhere near as big as the blue lady's."

"Oh...you mean...those round things," Shepard and Ashley both looked away from the Sparkling awkwardly.

"Do you know any of them Wheelie?" Ashley asked.

"No, I don't recognise them, wait, his armour is different but I recognise that one," Wheelie said, pointing at Rodimus.

"Where did you meet him?" Shepard asked.

"I didn't actually meet him, I saw him before the Arc took off and we were put into stasis," Wheelie said.

"You were in stasis, about fifty thousand years ago right?" Ash asked.

"Maybe, Sparklings can grow pretty quick in comparison to how Cybertronians age, I think Sentinel Prime would put us in stasis to halt our growth. We'd wake up every couple of thousand years to study and run free on an uncharted planet, he said everyone on the Arc was the future."

Shepard nodded her head, she knew Optimus and his crew would take great interest in Wheelie's story and began to record it with her Omni-tool. Optimus had told her that the Arc was an evacuation ship for those on Cybertron who hadn't taken up the fighting, either because of their class, their own choice or like Wheelie they were too young. Sentinel Prime was one of the last surviving members of the council of Primes and according to the Autobots a great scientific mind of Cybertron, akin to Earth's Albert Einstein or Steven Hawking.

"But as more time passed our free time got less and less frequent, and the gap between when we would awaken got longer, a thousand years would turn into ten thousand years. One time we woke up in space and we witnessed Sentinel exchanging something with ships we'd never seen before. The next time we woke up the Arc had crashed and we were on an organic world, our home was destroyed and half of the crew was missing, Sentinel just sent us back to our stasis chambers. And when we next woke up we were just where you found us, humans kept us in the deactivated stasis pods and just...looked at us, they wouldn't say anything wouldn't respond to us and they kept on taking notes on their Omni-Tools," Wheelie's voice began to get increasingly hysterical, so much that he gripped his head as if he was in pain. "Primus, I could've done something, I was always sneaking bits of tech into stasis with me, making tools to prank the older crew members and...and I just...I didn't act when I should've, I didn't fight back until everyone else was dead, I kept thinking that Sentinel would come in and save us but he didn't, I begged the humans to stop but they wouldn't".

"They asked me why I was crying? They told me fear didn't apply to me, that I was just a robot, a piece of machinery built to fulfil a purpose. I prayed to Primus that someone would come and help us, that someone would save us, I could've stopped them but I didn't, I gave into despair. Sentinel had abandoned us, the humans didn't think we were alive and my friends were broken down one by one, when they came for the last of us...I refused to be taken, I refused to die so I fought, kicked one in the neck and broke his flesh. It was sickening, that I had taken a life so easily but I wanted to be better than them so I knocked them out with my pellets. I COULD HAVE SAVED THEM!"

Wheelie slammed his fists into the ground, leaving a dent. Ashley put her arm around the Autobot, not fearing his strength. It astonished Shepard that Wheelie was so strong, yet still a child. And it horrified her that Cerberus could look at a child screaming and crying for mercy yet ignore it completely and dismiss is as 'just a machine'.

'But what about Sentinel Prime?' Shepard wondered what the scientist and Autobot leader had done, whether he had been dealing with someone or had fallen protecting his charges?

"Um Shepard, we've got a problem," Joker's voice suddenly echoed over the intercom.

"Kind of in the middle of something," Shepard said.

"Yeah I hope something bigger than Ironhide and Ratchet gets in the middle of their fight...oh don't worry," Joker chuckled.

Shepard and Ashley looked at one another in confusion, wondering just what had happened?

* * *

><p>'Just what happened to get you here Tali?' The Quarian asked herself. 'Oh right, you were on your pilgrimage, you poked your nose someplace you shouldn't have, trusted someone you shouldn't have and met a robotic organism you wish now you hadn't hit with a grenade, bosh'tet!'<p>

"Okay Sky Lynx, start it up," she commanded.

An instrument above Blaster's gurney shot a beam of raw energon through his body. It made his body flinch and his armour glowed blue from the energon surge, but it didn't knock him out of stasis lock. Tali used a few mechanical arms to peel away some of the layers of Blaster's chest, taking care not to damage any central systems.

'Now you've decided to save their lives, again you're a bosh'tet,' Tali thought as she ran a diagnostic.

Ratchet had been very thorough in his work. The idea of Stasis lock was that Blaster would not consume energon, or try to fight and his internal wounds would heal as more time went by. His transformation cog was useless and Ratchet hadn't mentioned that Blaster's communication equipment had been fused to his chest, making removing the equipment impossible.

"This sounds insensitive I know but, it's possible we could use spare parts from what we have available," Sky Lynx said.

"It sounds very insensitive, as sure as I am though that Cliff Jumper at least wouldn't mind I'm afraid it wouldn't fix the issue. Other than his shattered transformation cog and his radio being fused to his chest Blaster is fine physically. His processor is the issue, Ratchet forced Blaster into a very thorough stasis lock, my experience with hacking is limited to crates and mechs I'm afraid," Tali explained.

"It seems our esteemed medic didn't want Blaster talking!"

"Or didn't want him to do something incredible heroic but also incredibly stupid," Tali said.

"That may be true too, but Ratchet has some...how do humans say it, skeletons in his closet. In fact the Normandy might as well call Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet the 'big secret three' because their secrets, well it's amazing they're still standing and fighting for good causes," Sky Lynx explained.

"Sky Lynx as interesting as this is it doesn't tell me anything about Ratchet that I could use to open this lock. Let's see, connect with Blaster's processor and bring me to his stasis lock software," Tali suggested.

Cables connected to the sides of Blaster's head and a holographic interface appeared in front of Tali. She moved sliders across and accessed streams of data, trying to find a pattern in each one she could use to break the stasis lock.

"Damn it," she snarled.

"Still think Ratchet is squeaky clean?" Sky Lynx asked.

"Once Blaster is up we'll ask him whatever he found out about Ratchet, but for now we need to focus on repairing Blaster," Tali said.

"You see there's the problem, you still think of us as machines Tali'Zorah, you still look at us from the perspective of an engineer," Sky Lynx said.

"I'm looking at Blaster like a crew member who can save us all IF HE WAKES UP!" Tali screamed, slamming her hands into the console.

"You care about them all now don't you?" Sky Lynx asked.

"Of course I do, I never really understood the bond that could form between crew members, not until now, the pilgrimage teaches us how to be useful and to appreciate the fleet but to actually be part of a crew? That's something one can learn only by being part of a crew, some Quarians get lucky, I think I was the luckiest Quarian alive."

"How so?"

"Because not only did I meet machines friendlier than the Geth, I met people with more courage, kindness and heart than any creature I had met before. Not only did they teach me what it meant to be part of a crew, but they also taught me that life was about more than just a heartbeat and intellect, it was about soul...about soul...it was about soul," Tali clicked her fingers and ran to the gurney.

She climbed up the gurney and on top of Blaster's chest.

"Finally figured out what perspective you need?" Sky Lynx asked.

"I have been the biggest bosh'tet, Cybertronian life force is measured in the spirit of their sparks not the mechanics of their bodies," Tali said as she pulled aside some of the plates on Blasters chest. "I cant look at this from an engineer's perspective, or the perspective of an organic," she gazed in awe at the life force of all Cybertronians, what Bumblebee had used to save her life. "I can't look at the mechanics or even the brain, but the soul," Tali took a deep breath before jumping down into Blaster's spark.

* * *

><p>Optimus was awakened from his stasis by the sound of screaming, and banging. Luckily he hadn't gone into a repair stasis. Much to his shock, Ratchet had Ironhide pinned against the wall. The weapons expert, not one to be outmatched by a medic struck Ratchet back. Garrus stood on Ratchet's side with a few Minicons and Engineer Adams trying to tug on Ratchet's legs, Wrex had some Minicons assisting him in locking Ironhide's legs in place. They pulled their fists back, only for Optimus to step in the way, grabbing both their hands as they lunged forward.<p>

"In the name of Primus ENOUGH!" he yelled.

Both however were still intent on fighting.

"He is questioning my loyalty when I have come just as far as he has," Ratchet said.

"But have you given more, have you done your job as well as you should?" Ironhide asked.

"You know I have!"

"Arcee and Blaster would think differently, or were you saving them for experiments?"

"YOU SPEAK OF AFFAIRS YOU ARE IGNORANT IN!"

"Big secret remember, I was responsible for a massacre and you must have been involved in experiments during the Prothean war too," Ironhide retorted.

"I AM A DOCTOR I HAVE ONLY EVER BEEN A DOCTOR!"

"THEN WHY DO YOU LOOK SO GUILTY!"

Ratchet lowered his arm and yelled in defeat. Optimus lowered his own arms and the crew members let go of the Autobots.

"You weren't angry with Cerberus because you hated what they did, you were angry with them because they reminded you of what you did...I don't know the full details but it must have something to do with the reason why Optimus's memory is so shaky," Ironhide explained.

"That doesn't matter Hide," Optimus said.

"It does to me, because Ah can tell that not knowing who you are effects you Prahm, because it hurts the people around you too, you call Ratchet friend but has he sacrificed for you, has he been where the fighting's thickest with you? What has he sacrificed that I haven't?" Ironhide asked.

"You are both my friends Ironhide, and the last thing I want to see you do is fight each other," Optimus said.

"Then why don't you ask Ratchet what he knows, why don't you ask for the truth?"

"Because I am afraid Ironhide, don't blame Ratchet for knowing answers I have been unwilling to pursue."

"Why are you afraid Optimus?" Ironhide asked

"Because I think that if this big mystery is ever revealed then it might change me, or worse, it'll change how people see me, I value both of you as friends and I don't want anything to change that," Optimus explained, looking between both the medic and the soldier.

"Secrets aren't free, they have costs," Ironhide said.

"So does the truth," Ratchet retorted.

"Yeah Shepard, probably nothing to worry about now, just some skeletons that refuse to leave the closet," Joker said over the intercom.

"I'm sure Optimus had it under control, Ash and I have bigger issues," Shepard said before looking down at Wheelie. "We'll be arriving soon at our destination, Noveria, as soon as we get back we'll start working out what happened to the Arc and how Cerberus got a hold of you," she patted Wheelie's back and smiled.

"Okay Shepard, thank you," Wheelie said.

"Oh wait Wheelie before we go those ships that met with the Arc, did they look like this?" Ashley asked, showing the Sparkling a picture of Sovereign she had taken on Eden Prime.

"No, definitely not, the ships I saw were shinier, just as big as that one but not...tentacly, they were kind of cross and box shaped and their main guns were huge like monsters," Wheelie explained like a child describing a toy.

"Monsters...wait Wheelie hold on," Ashley searched through her Omni-tool.

Shepard looked at Ashley curiously, showing Wheelie the reaper was a good call but it didn't pay off. The fate of the Arc didn't seem to be connected to the Reapers. Wheelie's eyes lit up in realisation as Ashley showed him a picture of the Destiny Ascension.

"That's it, that is pretty much the same design the ships Sentinel traded with had," he said.

Ashley and Shepard looked at one another, both with knowing looks in their eyes. Once Noveria was behind them they would need to talk to the Asari councillor.

Next Chapter 20: Secrets and storms

* * *

><p>Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time we again split between the Normandy and Sky Lynx as Shepard's crew brave the cold secretive world of Noveria and Tali discovers the wondrous nature of the sparks and a world that exists beyond the physical.<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Mass Effect

I'M BACK!

Hopefully the wait was worth it for you guys, this chapter is probably a little more uplifting for you guys, at least I hope so

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 20: Secrets and Storms

'Secrets Garrus, a single secret can be what can make or break a case, corporations can be bought down because of their secrets. Not only do they reveal to the world their flaws, but their reputation is ruined as well,' the Turian C-Sec agent recalled one of many pieces of advice his father gave him.

More like a lecture really, he was trying to teach his son how devastating secrets could be. Governments, corporations, even militaries could be ruined because of a secret getting out. Despite his dedication to duty and the law, Garrus's father believed that those in charge had to be held accountable. Garrus wondered if his father would have had so much faith in the law and the council if he knew what the big secret Tevos hid was.

"Something wrong Garrus?" Kaidan asked.

They had been practicing their shooting together for a few hours. Kaidan was his usual self, concerned over his team mates unusually quiet demeanour.

"Did Shepard tell you what Wheelie told her?" the Turian asked.

"Yeah, could be right, the Asari have always been ahead of other species, we always thought it was because of their thousand year lifespan, enough life for a scientist to see their ideas fully realised but there don't seem to be a lot of famous Asari scientists, whom are deceased that is," Kaidan explained.

"Most Asari advancement seems to be connected to their mythology, disciples of the goddess Athame, or at least that's how they've explained it," Garrus said.

"So in other words the Asari set a high standards of law to follow 'keep us in the loop' yet here they are keeping secrets."

"Every government keeps secrets, they do what they have to in order to keep their people safe. It's the same thing with the spectres, they're given autonomy and the council helps them keep secrets, or impedes those who would investigate them, because they believe that the spectres have kept them safe," Garrus explained.

"So we throw accountability and morality under the table then?" Kaidan asked.

"HA!"

The shooters turned to the target range entrance, where Wrex stood with his arms crossed. He had an amused smirk across his face as he moved to the spot next to Garrus. Taking his pistol the Krogan fired off a few shots into the target before looking at Kaidan.

"Governments have been doing that for thousands of years Alenko, what you call accountability is governments picking a...what do you humans call it? Scapegoat for their crimes, so they can all walk away and go back into re election," he explained.

"I don't believe that, I can't believe that every person in office knows about a certain secret, a secret like what's been going on with the Asari. If anyone in the alliance knew about what was going on with Cerberus they would have spoken out against it," Kaidan explained.

"It's easy to speak out against something, but to actually stop it? Well that takes guts no politician has," Wrex huffed.

"He has a point Kaidan, I'm not saying I agree with it..."

"And I don't agree with it either Vakarian, I'm just telling you how the galaxy is. There are some causes not worth fighting for, because they won't change," the Krogan said,

"Like the Krogan Genophage?" Kaidan asked.

"The Genophage may have sterilised us, but it's not what's killing us, we're not traders or politicians or settlers, we're warriors. If you were to ask a Krogan if he wanted a cure for the Genophage or a good fight, there's almost a guarantee that the Krogan will pick fighting every time. It's just how we are," Wrex explained.

Kaidan lowered his pistol, remaining silent as the Krogan fired at the target again. The three of them didn't speak for the whole session, but they certainly thought about what the others said. Wrex himself imagined the Cerberus scientists with every pull of the trigger, every target he hit was the monsters who tortured and experimented on children.

* * *

><p>On the upper level of the ship, Shepard stood in the briefing room, conversing with Nihlus. The Turian spectre had left the side of the council and stood at his private residence on the wards. He knew his apartment was secure, none of the listening devices the council likely had in the spectre offices. When Shepard sent him a message regarding information regarding a Cerberus and Asari connection he knew secrecy was key. Shepard had spent the past few minutes telling Nihlus everything Wheelie had told her.<p>

"Cerberus performing experiments on mixing Cybertronian organs with organics, Asari trading spirits knows what for technology. You're sure Wheelie can't be mistaken that he saw an Asari ship?" Nihlus asked.

"I'm very certain Nihlus, have you ever heard of pirates getting their hands on Asari ships?" she asked.

"No, not even old ones, Asari don't produce that many ships, they leave battle fleets to us," Nihlus said.

"Are you sure?"

"Shepard, pirates don't go for Asari ships, they're too big a target, a strong target but a target nonetheless. There's a good chance that there may be a splinter faction within the Asari government or maybe even the Asari government have a fully sanctioned task force for the recovery of Cybertronian technology. It wouldn't be any different from what our own governments would do though."

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked, looking at the Turian in confusion.

"Let's face it Shepard, the Cybertronians have technology that borders on the miraculous, if they don't share there's going to be a lot of people trying to get their hands on their weapons. From what we've learnt over the past few days, it seems they've been more involved with our galaxy than we originally thought," Nihlus explained.

"So it's quite likely that if the Cybertronians truly were in this galaxy before Optimus's team then the Asari will be the ones to know about it," Shepard said.

"Definitely, they have the age for it, and they keep their secrets well, I'll see what information I can pull up Shepard, you do the same too but be careful. Asari are good at keeping secrets, even when the secrets have been found out, watch your back Shepard and the backs of your team mates."

"You be careful too Nihlus," Shepard saluted the Turian before cutting the line.

Shepard looked at the image of the Destiny Ascension, she doubted that it was the ship Wheelie had seen, but she believed that the Asari government was hiding something. She walked out of the briefing room and went through CIC. Each of the crew members whispered about what they had found at Cerberus, how Optimus had dealt with the situation. The general consensus was that he was admirable in his approach, but some asked the question, was it practical? When she reached the cockpit, she saw the surface of Noveria, it was a world of ice and sand storms, visibility was poor but Joker was good enough to follow the directions provided by the docking authority, who seemed less than pleased by the Normandy's arrival.

"Fun bunch, I think I might have my next shore leave here," Joker grinned.

Shepard looked over at the little bot sitting at the co-pilot chair. Wheelie had taken to hanging out with Joker, who like Ashley knew the best way to talk to the child. It probably stemmed from the fact Joker had a younger sister in the colonies, one who if Joker's file was current was barely even high school age.

"Where are the control sticks?" Wheelie asked.

"You guys don't use touch screens? I admit the old control system is easier to use but the touch interface runs faster," Shepard soon walked out of range of their discussion, but she was glad that Wheelie was settling in.

When she arrived at the cargo bay the crew had already finished preparing. Her ground team were all dressed in full armour, though Wrex had upgraded to heavier armour. The Autobots had changed to vehicle form and drove out of the Normandy to be scanned by Noveria's security teams. Whilst the guards futilely scanned them, Optimus looked at Port Hanshan with his own eyes. It seemed to be like any other settlement space port, but that was only the surface. He knew that Hanshan and Noveria itself was a hub for private businesses. The board of Noveria's executive committee each took a small sum from the businesses they allowed to set up in their territory. Noveria was ideal for setting up remote labs, where experiments either too dangerous or controversial could be carried out away from prying eyes. Spectres were the only council authority respected and feared by the executive committee, respected because even government operatives weren't above sponsoring businesses and feared because they could potentially reveal the boards dirty secrets.

Optimus looked towards Shepard's ground team, whom began to speak with the head of the security team Captain Matsuo. The woman beside her seemed to be eager to start a fight with Shepard and her team. A voice over the Intercom however tore the group away from one another and directed Shepard past the security scanners. The focus of the Cybertronians however was drawn to the people who climbed into their vehicle forms. None of them said anything as the three drivers, wearing independent contractor technician gear drove through the port. Once they were out of range of the Normandy, and out of sight of the security teams they drove them to a deserted garage. Optimus was driven into the garage first and the other two drivers parked Ratchet and Ironhide. All three drivers, two humans and a Salarian walked over to a table with tools on it.

"These are bigger than we were told, are you sure we've got enough for them?" one of the humans asked the Salarian.

"Of course of course, at the off chance they get onto the road these will take the vehicles out, and if the explosion doesn't kill them that storm will," the Salarian explained.

"If not that ship's going to have a lot of casualties," the other human said.

"Humans, you all think bombs should have the same trigger, this will go off once the engines reach a certain temperature, half way into that storm outside and BOOM!" the Salarian grinned.

"Easiest five thousand credits we ever made," the first human said.

"Is that five thousand between you or each?" a voice asked behind them.

"Each of course," the Salarian said.

"Yeah, so which one of us is going to tell that smoking hot Asari?"

"You and her? She's a matriarch there's no way that's happening."

"Hmmm, who is this matriarch?"

That's when the slow witted criminals thought to turn around, and gasped in horror at what they saw. Optimus was crouched in front of them, resting his hands on his knees and waiting for their answer. The trio screamed as Optimus moved his hand towards them.

* * *

><p>Shepard looked at her Omni-tool with a raised eyebrow. She had received a text from Optimus directing her to one of the garages. Deactivating her Omni-tool, she turned her focus to the Administrators office, where his secretary Gianna Parasini waited. The woman had been responsible for clearing the trouble with the security team earlier. Shepard understood Captain Matsuo's duty and her being in the dark over her spectre status. What she had a difficult time grasping was the lieutenant, Sterling, she seemed unnecessarily hostile for a security agent. Then again Elanus Risk Control was a private security company, they had become Citadel space's equivalent of a mercenary company, the legally accepted version of the Blue Suns or Eclipse. Parasini had been very open with the information she provided as well, a lot more so than other corporate employees Shepard had met.<p>

"I'll meet with the administrator, Kaidan, Wrex, Garrus, you three go to garage twenty four, Optimus has something that will apparently interest us," Shepard explained.

"Sure thing commander," Garrus nodded.

"What about us commander?" Ashley asked.

"You and Liara wait outside, I'll speak with Anoleis," Shepard said.

She walked into the Salarian's office, taking note of its grand size and expensive decoration. There were no windows, which made it smart in two ways, there was no chance of a storm outside getting in and no one could see what the Administrator was doing. Noveria was a hub for private corporations, and Anoleis was the man taking a little something from each of them. Shepard didn't expect much cooperation, she did however expect courtesy.

"You will excuse me if I don't stand up, this meeting is a courtesy, I have better things to do then entertain immigrants from that backwater Earth," the Salarian explained.

Shepard's eyebrow twitched in annoyance over Anoleis's disdain. The man was clearly unapologetically ignorant.

"I'm a council spectre Anoleis, not cooperating with me isn't in your best interests, just ask Exogeni," Shepard said.

"There are hundreds of companies conducting trade and experiments on this ground, we allow them to occupy their facilities, they come here to avoid the second guessing of galactic law," Anoleis said.

"And I represent the second guessing of galactic law, and recently I learned that the second guessing is right."

"But the results are never questioned, I don't have time to justify how our company is run, why has a council spectre been sent here?" Anoleis asked.

"One of your sponsors Saren Arterius has a facility here correct, has he been here recently?" Shepard asked.

"No, but a representative recently came when contact with the facility was lost, Matriarch Benezia and her entourage," Anoleis said.

"What entourage and what has been done about the loss of communication?"

"It's not uncommon for communication to be lost with facilities, especially considering the storms in Noveria. As for security we cover the port, they deal with their own facilities, that is how it has always been."

"What do you mean by entourage?"

"Asari commandos and cargo that passed our weapons checks," Anoleis said, a sigh indicating our increasingly bored he had grown. "Matriarch Benezia has already gone to the Peak 15 facility, but the storm has grown worse and its cut access off by shuttle!"

"But we can still get in by land?"

"Do not make an issue of this commander, the ice on the roads makes surface access all but impossible, we have strict safety protocols that state only those with a garage pass can access the road," Anoleis explained.

"It's too bad your safety protocols didn't extend to the facilities, if there has been some kind of accident at the Peak 15 facility I'm going to 'insist' that the board review their protocols," Shepard let the threat sink in before she turned away.

"You'll have to apply for a garage pass first Commander, which requires my review and approval," she ignored the smugness in the Salarian's voice as she walked out of the office.

Shepard let out a frustrated sigh as she shook her head, indicating to her crew that they had made no real progress. Parasini noticed this however and tapped her finger against her data pad, catching Shepard's attention.

"There's more than one way to get a garage pass commander," she said.

* * *

><p>Tali once had a dream, that she was on her home world, not having to wear a suit. It was a freeing feeling and even when the dream passed and she returned to reality, she still felt that small hope that she would be truly free one day. She felt a similar feeling now, the voices of the Autobots were a distant memory to her as she floated. At first there was a near overwhelming source of pain as images swept through her mind, like the data on a computer was being pumped directly into her brain. But then everything became coherent, her helmet faded and she touched bare flesh. This other world, the all spark itself perhaps was a place where anything was possible for an organic.<p>

For a moment she admired the feel of her skin, her hair and lips. But then she remembered why she was here, and the true wonder struck her. Her eyes glowed green as she looked upon archives of data, communication codes, historical data and even memories. It was the most intimate thing to a Cybertronian, and Blaster had opened his own being to her. She wasn't just joined with him, he was with her. His own, bare protoform looked at her and smiled before he faded.

"BLASTER!" Tali yelled.

She flew through swarms of data, it would have been a wonderful sight to fully admire. But she was being pushed forward by desperation, by the knowledge that Bumblebee was dying.

"He needs us Blaster, he needs you, we all do," she said.

If there was one constant for Blaster, is what that he loved his friends. Tali saw time after time the guilt that consumed Blaster. Whenever he wasn't smiling or joking, he was mourning every battle he couldn't fight alongside the Autobots.

"We need your OOF!" Tali suddenly struck a wall.

A wall of data, programmed in such a way that it prevented her from fully awakening Blaster. She touched it and like a real door denied her access. Curiously she raised her hand and her Omni-tool appeared. For a moment she wondered if this was all just the way her mind processed the world, or if she was truly floating within another existence, accessing computers like she would in her world. Her scientific curiosity however was dwarfed by the concern. Ratchet was a good medic, but the streaming of code and how it had been organised felt more like a shield. Like some patients being forcefully sedated, their own bodies couldn't wake up and had been shut down. Blaster's situation was similar to this. But the only real damage was to Blaster's transformation cog, recovery would be impossible.

"All of this information," Tali gripped her head for a moment.

Within seconds she was getting a complete picture of Cybertronian physiology, biology and even spirituality. She understood the concept of Primus, the all spark, the matrix, even the great destroyer.

"I think I'll avoid that part," she muttered, finding it all too frightening.

But no matter what the implications of Ratchet's actions were, she pushed forward, tearing down wall after wall of data.

_"Retrieving personnel data, Orion Pax, construction worker, part of team that built Iacon following disappearance of Nova Prime and the declaration of a new ruling council!"_

Tali widened her eyes in much the same way Blaster had before. She witnessed those last moments through Blasters eyes.

_"Optimus, Blaster has received heavy damage, I can put him into stasis lock and come and assist you."_

_"No, stay with Blaster, drive across the landscape and try to find the Minicons, everyone else join up with Bumblebee and Shepard and find Doctor T'Soni."_

_He didn't drive across the landscape or look for the Minicons, at least at first. Ratchet took me to a cave and placed me on the ground._

_"How bad is it?" I asked._

_"What were you accessing with Teletraan 1?" the medic suddenly asked me._

_"I wasn't using Teletraan 1," I said._

_"Don't lie to me Blaster, cog it, what drove you to go behind the team's back like that?" Ratchet asked._

_"The good of the team, Optimus has a secret, hell most of us have secrets but we understand when the truth has been explained to us."_

_"Not this you won't," Ratchet muttered._

_"Optimus is using the name of a worker who helped build the city of Iacon, or he at least was, the old council era was a tough time, in order to enlist he would have had to falsify some of his records. He sure had some of us fooled though, I actually find it quite funny."_

_"He would never deceive you," Ratchet snarled._

_That got me thinking, and I suppose I ran my mouth a little._

_"A small little lie, if I talk to him about it I'm sure he'll..."_

_"No, he must never know, not ever Blaster," Ratchet said._

_"What do you mean? It's his secret to reveal right, the others have a right to know too, if anything this is going to bring us together."_

_"No, we don't how he'll after he discovers who he really is!"_

_Ratchet looked at me and I think he realised what I had figured out. He didn't say anything as he approached me, I begged and screamed out at him but he didn't say anything. No, he said one thing before putting me under._

_"I'm sorry!"_

Tali gasped as she was pulled out of the memory, it felt like hands were grabbing her, pulling her out of the light and into the dark depths of her own memory. In that darkness she found something worse than noise, silence. She was a child again, bound in her suit for the first time and she heard nothing but silence, the worst thing for a Quarian.

* * *

><p>One secret could be the downfall of even the toughest criminals. That was what Garrus's father often taught him. It came as no surprise to Garrus that Anoleis was corrupt. There probably wasn't a person in Noveria who didn't have an agenda of their own. An undercover agent looking for evidence in a case, a Turian businessman looking to get rid of a rival and clear his own name and the corrupt cop who made the mistake of getting in a Spectre's way. These were all things that Garrus had come to expect and in a way despise. Not so much Parasini, when Shepard had told him about her that was the only part he liked. What he hated was Anoleis and Sterling, the corrupt administrator and cop respectively.<p>

A single false mood was what bought them to justice. Sterling made the mistake of breaking her code, of allowing herself to be the errand woman of whoever paid the most. Anoleis made the mistake of taking a little too much on the side. The board probably ignored him until he started making more money than them. Investigating corporations was one of the most complicated parts of Garrus's job. He preferred investigating individuals, like the three men who had tried planting bombs in the Autobots.

"Assassinating a new species representatives would have been an act of war," he told the three men.

Optimus had used girders to tie them to three posts. It was clear he had already put the fear of gods (it all depended on what species you were) into the criminals. Coincidentally Garrus recognised them from C-Sec, petty criminals often associated with some kind of sabotage or vehicle theft. In the past they had been cogs in the machines of organised criminal organisations. Deals had been made to give them lighter sentences, even new identities in exchange for information. Investigating individuals became more complicated when you learnt they were part of a conspiracy. But this wasn't a C-Sec investigation, it was military, which meant less restrictions.

"Not forgetting the diplomatic repercussions, but you would have made enemies of the Spectres too, they don't like their own being threatened. The Autobots however? They're much more protective, almost like a family, you kill one of theirs and it's not war, its hunting season," Garrus explained.

They were only petty criminals when they went through the courts. Garrus knew for a fact men like them would had relished the chance to steal from people weaker than them. Now the shoe was on the other foot as humans said.

"That's an alliance vessel, you knew exactly what you were doing," Kaidan said.

"Yeah we did, but the pay was good and it came from a reliable source," one of the humans said.

"An Asari matriarch correct? Yeah I've had my run ins with them, they're the most experienced kind in more ways than one," Wrex grinned as he walked around the Salarian.

"Was it Matriarch Benezia?" Optimus enquired.

"Who?"

Garrus suddenly kneed the human in the stomach.

"Don't play the innocent with me, you three are led by your libido and the Matriarch came here recently, I believe a fellow Turian said she caught a few people's eyes with that black dress of hers," he explained.

"Black, no not a black dress, and we didn't actually meet her here," the other human said.

"Was she not this woman?" Optimus asked, conjuring a holographic image of the Matriarch.

Garrus could tell that the three hadn't seen the Matriarch before.

"No, look she was in Illium when she contacted us, we'd been there in the past, she made her living running a bar."

"Did you get a name?" Kaidan asked.

"No, listen we just got out of prison, work was hard. Then this smoking hot Asari comes along and offers us papers for a job here in Noveria, and enough explosive to take out those monsters," the human suddenly quivered as Ironhide glared at him.

"Yeah, these are military grade explosives, they burn through armour as if its paper, very dangerous things to be taking around a public space port," Garrus said.

"It was the equipment she gave us," the Salarian retorted.

"Still illegal outside of the military, Captain Matsuo will be very interested in what you have to say for yourselves!"

"No, you can't call the cops on us," the first human said.

"They could let me eat you," Wrex grinned as the three criminals sank to the floor.

Garrus huffed as he walked away from the three men, willing to leave them for Captain Matsuo's team. Word came through from Shepard that she had secured a pass from Parasini. So Wrex, Kaidan and Garrus respectively climbed into Ironhide, Optimus and Ratchet.

"The secrets fall into place," Garrus muttered.

"What's that?" the medic asked.

"Nothing, just a thought I had, either Benezia had one of her contacts try to kill us or the Asari government know we're getting close to whatever conspiracy they're hiding," the Turian explained.

"Yes, secrets, we always think that if we know the truth it'll be more satisfying. Families are satisfied with the knowledge that their loved ones deaths held purpose, or were heroic in some way. The truth however, death rarely has meaning and some soldiers die like cowards," Ratchet explained bitterly.

"I suppose you've seen a lot of death on your gurney, on both gurneys if what Ironhide said is to be believed," Garrus said.

"Sometimes a little study is necessary, but you are right, I have seen too much to think that there is a simple way of looking at anything. And you have seen much corruption haven't you?"

"Yes, C-Sec isn't perfect, its why I left, we started making the jobs of criminals easier," Garrus sighed.

"These criminals, are they all the evil men you think? Or are some repentant men whom had been forced by circumstance to do evil?" Ratchet asked.

Garrus remained quiet for a moment as he leant his hands against the wheel, creating the illusion he was driving.

"One of the criminals I couldn't catch, Doctor Saleon, he ran a clinic in the wards, at the time I was investigating the illegal selling of organs. I spoke to one of Saleon's workers, the guy passed out during interrogation and no we weren't rough with him. Saleon had been...growing extra organs inside his own employees, sometimes the organ wouldn't grow properly and he just left them in there. Some people died, those who survived have a list of health problems as long as a Hanar's tentacle."

"When we took another look at his records we saw he was getting quite a bit of credits from his activities. Enough credits to afford a getaway ship when C-Sec came for him. He took a few of his workers with him, the Citadel fleet wouldn't shoot him down because of the hostages. This man was supposed to be a doctor, the illegal organs didn't even go to the people who needed it, just the rich and powerful who wanted to keep secrets, mercenaries looking for treatment without drawing attention to themselves and Krogan looking for more testicles."

"Ah, the incorrect 'cure' for the Genophage," Ratchet said.

"What kind of doctor treats his patients like test tubes? What kind of doctor runs away if his work was for a greater good? I'll tell you Ratchet, a criminal, an unrepentant criminal. So no Ratchet I have never come across a repentant criminal or a good man forced to do evil things, if they were truly good they wouldn't have had to turn to crime to begin with," Garrus explained.

"We used to say the same about people on Cybertron during the council era," Ratchet said. "But I can tell you a few things about good people doing bad things Garrus, there are good men who do bad things because their society forces them to do it, and in order to change their society for the better, they have to make those sacrifices not just to save lives, but to make history too, then there are good men who unknowingly do bad things under the belief they are doing it for a greater good and are forever haunted by the knowledge of what they have done. Sometimes truth isn't the happy ending Garrus Vakarian, just the addition of more grief. Sometimes the lie is better than truth!"

"How can someone live with a lie their entire life?" Garrus asked.

"The Protheans did it for thousands of years, that their way was the only way, then we proved them wrong," there was an almost smug satisfaction in Ratchet's voice.

For Garrus however, it got him thinking, what kind of secrets was Ratchet hiding?

* * *

><p>Tali felt cold, and it wasn't the comforting cold of a ship's hold. The darkness was space and the cold was the vacuum. She heard nothing and it made the illusion that she was drifting even worse. Hugging her arms she continued to drift, breathing louder in a vain attempt to hear herself. But she could hear nothing, not the beating of her heart or her breathing. She wondered if she was dead? If somehow she had failed, or if she had drifted into another world where she would stay for all eternity.<p>

"Anyone, someone, HELP!" she couldn't hear herself scream, no matter how hard she yelled.

She began to cry as she hugged her arms and pulled her head back. Again she screamed with little to no effect.

"I won't let it end like this, it can't end like this, just when I was beginning to understand them," she said.

Her eyes slowly opened as she saw a light drifting towards her.

"Hello," it said to her, in a child like voice.

"Blaster?"

"Whose Blaster? Where am I?" the light asked.

"Please, help me get out of here, I need to find my friend."

"Friend? That word, why does it feel so warm, yet so cold at the same time?"

"I don't understand what are you?" Tali asked.

"I'm wondering the same thing myself, I'm sorry, I can't help you, I need to find some place warm."

"Wait, please, don't go!"

She widened her eyes as another spark appeared before her eyes. This spark shaped into a humanoid figure, who reached out with a hand.

"I was so close to it, I saw Cliff Jumper, and I saw everything that Rodimus can be. I heard your voice in the dark Tali, just like he did and just like him, I'm going to find my light. But I'm not leaving without you," the voice explained.

Tali sighed in relief and her tears turned to joy.

"Blaster, Keelah Se'lai," she whispered.

"Keelah Se'lai," Blaster said.

He grabbed Tali and she held onto his arm tightly as he opened the palm of his hand. The fiery spark rested on his hand.

"Wow, you're a little hot shot aren't you?" he asked.

"Hot Shot," the spark repeated.

"Where did you come from?" Blaster asked.

"I was drifting, and then I heard some words over and over, 'freedom'"

"Is the right of all sentient beings, I heard them too, the first time I heard them I wanted to meet the person who spoke these words. I wanted to stand with him and fight with him, to do whatever I could for him, no matter how small. Even now, I still want to fight with him, Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," Blaster explained.

"He sounds amazing," the spark said.

"I've met him, he's everything that Blaster says," Tali said.

"He pulled me out of darkness once, just like Tali has for both of us," Blaster smiled as he began to fly upwards.

The little spark flew out into the darkness until it began to fade. Tali and Blast however kept on rising, through the darkness and into the light, through swarms of sparks whom all spoke to them.

"What is this place?" Tali asked.

"It's the all spark, every spark that was, every spark that can be, and you just gave one of those sparks a new life, some might call it a second chance just like mine," Blaster explained.

Tali raised her hand, shielding her eyes as she and Blaster flew into a bright light. As the light passed, Tali awoke to found herself resting on Blaster's chest plate. His antenna was extended and a message was playing on his speakers. She looked towards his face and shook her head at the grin he had plastered on it.

"How does it feel being the first person to bond with an Autobot?" he asked.

"Did we just...you know," Tali's voice drifted a little.

"Oh no...EEEEW!" Blaster yelled as he got of the gurney. "No, it's nothing like what organics do, that wasn't...yuck I can't even think about it."

Sky Lynx sighed, a sound that caused the entire room to shake.

"What you just saw had little to do with the fact you and Blaster bonded Tali, you both now have a complete recollection of one another's memories," Lynx explained.

"Yeah, it was like a blood oath, I'll stick with you Tali just like you stuck by me, my sister from another mother," Blaster said, his voice sounded more like a stereo than it used to.

"That other spark though what was it?" Tali asked.

"A new life born from an old one, your emotions Tali acted as a beacon for this child, a child given shape by the immense desire Cliff Jumper had to protect his friends and Rodimus's wish for redemption!"

"Yeah guys, I think it's better if you see for yourselves," Jazz said from outside.

Blaster and Tali stepped outside, behind the other Autobots.

"Good to see you again Blaster," Prowl muttered, only half interested.

He just like everyone else was too interested in the light coming from the remains of Rodimus and Cliff Jumper.

"By Primus," Jazz gasped.

"It really can happen, reformation," Warpath whispered.

A protoform emerged from the flames, its armour glowing orange. Tali looked up and shouted to the other Autobots, a ship emerged from the clouds unlike any she had seen before. It reminded her of the flotilla ships, in the fact it looked old and ready to fall apart. Some parts even were falling off of the ship, Tali thought the best term to describe it was 'junk'. The tip or 'nosecone' resembled a drill and the hull was an assortment of colours, as the ship had been patched together from an assortment of other ships. But that was nothing compared to the new life form in front of them. They had just witnessed a reincarnation, the transform effect.

* * *

><p>Noveria was a cold world, it was perfect for Benezia really. The cold facade she put on for politicians had become her true self. Indoctrination had set her free, the Fallen one's master had eliminated all of her meaningless inhibitions. She didn't even regard the dead bodies with the same pity she would have. Walking through the corridors of the peak 15 facility, Benezia traded only sidelong glances at the windows. She saw what her allies were doing to the organics. Little insects crawled over the skin of the Peak 15 researchers, injecting them with the substance Benezia's new ally had designed. A human girl feel to her knees and her scream echoed as if it was coming out of a speaker.<p>

"Metal shall replace flesh," Benezia muttered.

"No, metal and flesh shall join, a synthesis, and the key to taking the Rachni will be the song," a voice said over the radio.

"Yes, take the mother and the children will follow her," Benezia's eyes glowed green as she walked further into the facility.

The Husk's emerged from the snow, their eyes glowing green as the circuitry across their skin expanded. They became miniaturised versions of feral Cybertronians, creatures that lacked the identifying armour of sentient Autobots and Decepticons. A squad of Decepticon Vehicons walked out of the shadows, preparing their blasters. Their leader soon followed, clad in black armour, his arms shifting into hook like appendages.

"I will hold the line, just make sure you do what you have to woman," he said.

"Show respect Lockout, your reward can diminish the more you insult your employer," the voice over the radio spoke again.

"The Queen will join us," Benezia said. "The Autobots will die and the Fallen will be free to take this galaxy, you must still do your part...Shockwave!"

"Don't worry Matriarch," the Decepticon scientist walked outside, looking up at the sky.

A hellish screech echoed through the snow. Shockwave caught sight of his weapon, his creation flying in the sky, unaffected by the cold.

"Tarantulus's abominations were no match for them, show them what a true beast can do, my Predacon!"

Next Chapter 21: Junk and ice

* * *

><p>Hopefully everyone enjoyed the chapter, I don't know about you guys but I prefer forgetting the photo shopped image that was Tali's true face and imagining her as a Quarian version of her voice actress AshLiz Sroka (so a photo shopped Sroka lol)

Next time we are introduced to the new Autobot Hot Shot, the Junkions and Predaking :)


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect or Transformers

I also hope the update didn't come too late, hope everyone enjoys it

* * *

><p><span>Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime<span>

Chapter 21: Junk and ice

Tali kept a firm and futile hold on her shotgun. Unsure of whether she had saved the Autobots or doomed them. She looked down at Bumblebee, weakly clutching Jazz's hand and realised that it didn't matter. If they didn't get help soon, whether from captors or allies, Bee would die. But even the oldest ship in the Migrant fleet looked more stable than the drill ship. It was a patch work vessel, bits of the hull were falling off, it couldn't even land gracefully because the tracks at the bottom had fallen off.

"Defensive formation, around the wounded," Jetfire commanded.

Prowl and Warpath both took positions with their blasters ready. They raised the weapons as a hatch on the side of the ship slammed onto the ground.

"How many times do we tell ya, the right tool for the right job?" a voice said from inside the ship.

They couldn't get a decent view of whatever was coming out of the ship, but between the gaps Tali could see metallic feet.

"Mix the contents and it becomes an effective adhesive, guaranteed to be more effective than household models," another voice spoke.

They spoke with the metallic tone and echo Tali recognised from most Cybertronians. But there was a higher pitch to it, and like Blaster's voice seemed to be coming out of speakers.

"But not guaranteed to hold for more than forty eight hours, or under hot conditions," the other voice said.

A third figure stepped out of the hatch, kneeling down to feel the dirt.

"The distress signal was here, why can't we find them?" the first voice asked.

"Should have gone with Elkoss Combine sensors, current cameras are outdated but the S-79 model is guaranteed to locate communication signals whilst maintaining high quality images," the second explained.

"Or perhaps we could take a walk outside, explore, use your damned optics," said the third.

He walked around the ship, turning to face and reveal himself to the Autobots. His body was a patchwork of different parts. Cannons from a Turian fighter were attached to his right shoulder. Tracks ran up the sides of his legs, both of which were green and brown respectively and taken from different tank models. He was bigger than his other crew mates, about the size of Optimus, in fact he even had a rusty helmet that seemed to resemble Optimus's. The plate however was hanging off, and the bot would occasionally fix it back to his face.

"Damn, this is a potentially awkward situation," the bot said.

"Damn? What does that mean?" Warpath asked.

"Swear word commonly used by organics," Jetfire said.

"Oooh," said the first bot as he joined his leader, like him his body consisted of different vehicle parts to replace Cybertronian armour.

"They have broken things with them," said the second bot.

"Can we use them, especially that big one there, we could build a new ship from him," the first robot said.

"I think he's talking about you Sky Lynx," Arcee said.

"If they get close I'll rip them apart!"

"It talks, a talking ship would be great, just like Andromeda."

"Except Andromeda sounds nicer."

"What on Rannoch are they talking about?" Tali asked.

The smaller robot, the one who had been the first to speak immediately perked up. The bolts on his neck began to spark as he walked around his leader in excitement.

"Rannoch, he said Rannoch, do you think he knows it? Maybe he know where we can get more Geth-Cons," he said.

"Poor lonely Geth-Cons, don't know why they get thrown away, they're nice to talk to," the second bot said.

"I don't know how they can mistake you for a man Tali," Jazz muttered.

"These bots must have rusty processors, or they're overcharged on Energon," Prowl said.

"Energon, Energon," the two bots whispered in high pitched voices. "ENERGON!"

"ENOUGH!" the leader yelled.

Both bots calmed down, scurrying back slightly as he walked towards the crew. He wiped the dust off of his chest plate, revealing the Autobot symbol.

"You were an Autobot?" Tali asked.

"Yes, but then the Autobots threw me away, the bastards," the Autobot said.

"Why do you talk like that?" Arcee asked.

"Because little femme-bot years wandering space and watching twenty first century Earth broadcasts has taught me how to talk TV," he said.

"Talk TV?" Jazz looked at the bot in confusion.

"Yes, humans have a very interesting way of talking, much better than Asari bitches, uptight and stuck up, then there's the Turians they have sticks shoved up their asses," he gestured to the area and looked towards the Protoform in the flames. "By the beard of Zeus, the spark of Primus, the power of gray skull and god, the Transform Effect," he gasped.

His two crew members awed very vocally, staring at the Protoform. Like a threatened animal it let out a brief snarl.

"You mean reformation right?" Blaster asked.

He cautiously approached the former Autobots, all three took a keen interest in the damage to his chest.

"Hmm, laser burn, damaged your T-cog right?" the captain asked.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be transforming again, at all really," Blaster sighed.

"HA! So Autobots still abandon Cybertronians who can't transform," the captain shook his head as he looked at the other Autobots. "Legs melted, chassis damaged, energon reserve low, targeting matrix broken, flight systems crippled, you're one battle trodden team, is that civil war still going on?"

"Yeah, Decepticons have the advantage at the moment," Jazz said.

"Is Megatron still in charge?"

"He's dead, buried under the rubble of that cliff," Jetfire pointed to where Megatron had made his last stand.

"Impressive, you managed to defeat him."

"Actually he fell to betrayal, Rodimus and Starscream destroyed him," Warpath said.

"Starscream? I should have known that bihnuch would turn on Megatron, and very, very interesting...I assume Starscream then turned on Rodimus," again the captain looked at the Protoform.

"It's very complicated, a story best told in a ship," Prowl said.

"Ah yes, you are all in need of vast repairs, especially you, you and you," he pointed at Arcee, Bumblebee and Sky Lynx. "Don't worry, we'll focus on the little bot first, and we need to see to our new family member, welcome to the world little guy," the bot began walking over to the Protoform with his arms raised in a hug.

Suddenly, the Protoform struck, slamming his fist into the captain's jaw. The bot fell onto his back, looking up in fear as the Protoforms hands glowed red. His fiery eyes narrowed at the junked bot.

"Wait, stop," Tali said, raising her hands as the armed Autobots readied their weapons.

"She's right, he's basically a new being, we need to be careful around him," Blaster said.

Tali approached the Protoform, looking up at the giant as if he was a child. She took out a power cell and offered it to the Protoform, whom cautiously knelt to take it.

"Bah-weep-graaagnah wheep ni ni bong," Tali said.

"Oooh, the universal greeting I haven't heard that since 1986," the junk captain said.

"Uni...versal...greeting," the Protoform said.

"That's right, roughly translated as we come in peace," Tali said.

"It can also be used to start a dance, CREW HIT IT!"

"NO! NO, I love a good dance off as much as the next guy, but not when we have a crew member in need of a medic," Blaster explained.

"Oh true, all right, call in the ships," the captain said.

One of his lieutenants turned into a truck with a satellite dish attached to it. The Autobots saw the light flashing on the dish and looked to the clouds. Much to their shock more ships began descending from the atmosphere, all of them patch work vessels. Some even used parts from Turian and Asari ships, Sky Lynx recognised one ship as a twenty first century Earth shuttle. He crawled across the ground, bearing his fangs as several more 'junk bots' ran out of the drill ship.

"Sorry my new friends, but some of you will have to go on separate ships, we all have to go to the same destination though, so back home to planet Junk," the captain explained as he got off the floor.

Several of the junk bots picked up the wounded Autobots and began carrying them to separate ships. Tali jumped onto Bumblebee's face plate, looking at the sad shine in the little bots eyes.

"Who are you people anyway?" Tali asked.

"My name is Wreck-Gar, I am probably what you'd call the leader of these Junkions," the captain said.

Tali looked at the Protoform as he walked alongside the people carrying Bumblebee.

"What's your name?" she asked.

The Protoform tilted his head, as if thinking of what to say. He seemed to have chosen a name as he looked down at Tali.

"Hot Shot!"

* * *

><p>Noveria was beyond cold, Shepard had no doubt that if she was to step out of Ratchet and walk then she would freeze to death. She had been to some cold worlds before, but Noveria was perhaps the coldest and deadliest of all. Upgrades would have had to have been made to the Mako to make it ride along the ice, but for the Cybertronians it was no problem. Simply altering the structure and shape of their vehicle tire forms was enough to ride semi-smoothly along the ice. Liara nervously held the handle bar above her as Optimus drifted slightly from the path.<p>

"It could be worse, it could be Shepard driving," Kaidan said.

"I'll remember that Lieutenant," Shepard said.

Ashley and Wrex laughed as Ironhide drove past Ratchet.

"We've got movement in the tunnel ahead Prahm," Ironhide said.

"What's waiting for us Ironhide?" Ratchet asked.

"Geth heavies, and seeker mines!"

"Don't leave us in suspense, what are we in for?" Wrex asked.

"Once you trip the wire the mine paints you as a target and seeks you, if it was an old model we could outrun it but it looks pretty recent and modified too," Ironhide explained.

"All right then, let's try to avoid them but if one person gets painted whoever's behind needs to cover them," Optimus said.

"What happens if Ratchet gets painted, who covers him?" Liara asked.

"Then either Prahm or me falls behind and covers his rusty chasis," Ironhide said.

"Speak for yourself," Ratchet retorted.

"ROCKETS INCOMING!" Ironhide yelled.

He swerved to the right as the Geth began to open fire. The Autobots moved through the tunnel, dodging or intercepting rockets with their front mounted guns. Shepard and Garrus heard a crunching sound underneath Ratchet, feeling him crush one of the Geth. Optimus activated his rockets, driving around the range of a seeker mine, or at least what he thought was out of the seeker mines range. Like a centipede it crawled out of the ground, activated rockets over its body and flew after Optimus.

"The overall range has been modified Optimus," Ratchet said, before firing his front guns.

The seeker weaved between the blasts, getting closer and closer towards Optimus. Garrus put on his helmet and opened his door. He leant out of Ratchet, holding his sniper rifle steady.

"HURRY UP AND HIT IT RATCHET!" Ironhide yelled.

"I'M TRYING PRIMUS I'M TRYING!"

Garrus pulled the trigger, sending a shot flying into the Seeker. The armour piercing round drilled through its chassis, triggering an early explosion of its ordinance. Ratchet drove through the flames as Garrus slammed his door shut.

"Nice shooting Vakarian, okay what weren't we expecting here?" Shepard inquired, recognising Ratchet's earlier surprise.

"Well the Fallen's from an old era of Cybertron right? In that case he should have equipment that's older, old seekers had a minimum range of a few centimetres, these ones have a much better range and actually evade countermeasures, we're dealing with modern Cybertronian tech and modified for a bigger bang," Ratchet explained.

"Thank the goddess," Liara sighed in relief as they hit the end of the tunnel.

"Any more explosions like that and we may have been buried," Kaidan said.

"Ordinarily Seeker mines are used to maim, a lot like human bear traps," Ironhide noted as he dodged a blast fired by a colossus.

He slid across the ice, his wheels spinning as he regained control. Optimus again activated his afterburner and rammed straight through the colossus. Ratchet however shot another apart. The group drifted around several corners before hitting an open terrain.

"Looks like smooth driving," Ironhide said.

Suddenly, a rocket flew over Ironhide's roof.

"Nice work Hide, why don't you say something like the great destroyer doesn't exist?" Ratchet asked.

"He doesn't, unless that's another great secret you're keeping," the weapons expert retorted.

"Got any young bots killed recently, I'll take a guess and say you got them buried under an avalanche when you said 'no an avalanche couldn't possibly happen right now', its right up there with 'it can't get any worse'," Ratchet explained.

"Enough you two," Optimus snarled, driving ahead of Ironhide.

Kaidan looked through Optimus's window and saw what was shooting at them. Geth rocket troopers, alongside colossi and Geth Primes. The autobots rode side by side and pulled off a sharp turn to the left. Optimus hit the wall of ice and the rebound pushed both Ratchet and Ironhide forward. Ironhide fired a missile, hitting the ice underneath the Geth forces. The edge cracked and began to careen off of the mountain, burying the Geth.

"Another tunnel ahead Prahm, try not to trip another mine," Ironhide said.

The red truck drove over a Geth rocket trooper and swerved to the left to avoid a colossus's blast. A green light ran across Ironhide's body before a Seeker mine popped out of the ground.

"You really need to stop tempting fate today Hide," Ashley said.

"If I die I'm killing you Ironhide," Wrex growled.

Ashley slid the face shield across her helmet and opened her door. She caught sight of the Seeker mine pursuing Ironhide. Ashley was just about to pull out her pistol when she saw a green light sweep over Ratchet's body.

"Damn it, Ratchet you tripped a mine," she said over her radio.

"HA, knew your massive car form would trip one," Ironhide laughed.

"Our vehicle forms are the same size Ironhide," Ratchet countered.

Ashley kept an eye on both seekers, taking note as they both simultaneously moved to the right.

"Wrex its approaching from your side, Shepard so is yours," she said.

The Krogan didn't even bother with his helmet, he rolled is window down and fired his shotgun multiple times. He grit his teeth together as the seeker continuously dodged. The pincers on its head expanded as it lunged towards him.

"BUZZ OFF!" he yelled, his body glowing blue as he lifted the Seeker to the ceiling.

The Seeker blew up, bringing rubble down on the right side of the tunnel. Ratchet drove around the rocks and ice, 'slagging' the seeker as it kept up its pursuit. Shepard activated her face shield and rolled her window down. Her Omni-tool flashed as she attempted to hack the mine.

"Should have known, let's see how your circuits are little guy," Shepard grinned, using her overload tech.

Electricity swept through the seeker's body, causing it to flail and screech before blowing up.

"How is it you put it T'Soni? Thank the goddess," Ashley said as the group left the tunnel.

"That may be the last of the tunnels, the last stretch towards Peak 15 is a network of sharp corners, and the roads shrinking," Shepard said.

"Barely big enough for us to fit, and they have turrets," Optimus said.

"Then how's about we make it easy for ourselves, stop and snipe the turrets from a distance so that we don't have to rush across under fire," Ironhide explained.

The members of the team froze as a screech boomed through the snow. They remained silent and for a moment Garrus swore he heard a flapping sound over Ratchet's engine. Suddenly, Ratchet's body shook, causing Garrus and Shepard to grip their handle bars for support. The team widened their eyes as Ratchet was lifted off of the ground. Claws dragged against Ratchet's armour and this time, Shepard and Garrus heard the screech of the monster and the flap of his wings up close.

"RATCHET!" Optimus yelled, coming to a halt at a turning.

"SHEPARD!" Kaidan opened the door and rushed to the edge of the cliff.

"Lieutenant Alenko get back inside now," Liara said.

"But Shepard and Garrus, Ratchet too," Kaidan looked over the edge as he heard a crashing sound.

"THEY'RE DOWN THERE!" he yelled.

"Lieutenant, get back inside now," Optimus commanded.

Kaidan's hands shook as he climbed back inside Optimus. He shut the door and removed his helmet. His hair was a mess and his eyes were bloodshot. He suddenly punched the dashboard and let out an agonising yell. Liara lowered her head and rubbed Kaidan's shoulder, comforting him was the only thing keeping her from crying. Wrex remained as quiet as Ironhide, their reactions barely readable. Ashley however kept looking back out of her window, for some sign that Ratchet was climbing back up. She saw something else however through the storm. It had gigantic wings much like a bats, but the 'arms' of the wings were metallic and had glowing yellow orbs on them. The creature was massive as well, bigger than the Mako, its neck stretched outwards from the front and consisted of numerous brown plates that matched its armoured hide. She looked at its face and saw as well as a great maw a set of fangs and pincers. Its eyes glowed yellow as it dived towards them.

"MOVE NOW!" Ashley yelled.

"What, we can't drive our way through this," Ironhide said.

"If you don't want what got Ratchet then you'll damn well get out of this choking point as fast as you can," the chief explained.

Liara held on for dear life as Optimus activated his afterburners and began driving as fast as he could. He and Ratchet drove so fast that they drove over the surface of the wall as they turned the corner, getting a look at the dragon like creature that threw Ratchet. It hit the wall and then jumped away, roaring at the fleeing Autobots in anger.

"What the hell is that thing?" Ash asked.

"If it was a hybrid it would look more fleshy and it definitely wouldn't survive in this storm," Wrex said.

"I may be wrong but, I think it's a Predacon," Optimus said.

"Impossible, they went extinct billions of cycles before the time of the council of Primes," Ironhide said.

"Yeah? Tell that to him," Wrex retorted.

The Predacon roared, spewing fire from its mouth at the Autobots. The road behind them melted and some of the ice began falling to the ground. Optimus and Ratchet turned another corner, nearly going off the cliff. The Predacon flew away from the cliff before coming back around for another strike. It reared its head back and released a cloud of fire across the top of the cliff.

"It appears to be intelligent," Liara said.

Rocks began to rain down on the road ahead, altering the road in a manner that made it unfit for driving across. Optimus fired his frontal cannon, shaping the ramp out of the rocks.

"Ironhide hit your afterburner and do not slow down for anything," Optimus commanded.

"By Primus we are not race bots like Bumblebee and Jazz Prahm," Ironhide said.

"JUST HIT THE DAMN AFTERBURNER!" Ashley yelled.

Both Optimus and Ironhide flew up the ramp and over the ice. Ironhide landed on his front and bounced until he slid across the ice, lying on his side. Optimus's front head lights smashed as he hit the ground, his suspension nearly broke but his landing was overall smoother. He drove into Ironhide, knocking him back onto his wheels.

"Thank you Optimus, and thank Primus we're on actual open ice again," Ironhide let out a sigh of relief.

"Keep going, we're nearly at the facility garage," Optimus said.

"Primus please make it, Primus please make it Primus please make it," Ironhide screamed as he felt the Predacon get closer and closer towards him.

Optimus pulled off a 180 turn, firing his cannon and hitting the Predacon's shoulder. It was enough to make him alter his course away from Ironhide, when the Predacon was gone Optimus turned and drove forward. The Predacon flew upwards before swooping down.

"Great more Geth," Kaidan cursed.

"Rocket troopers, " Liara said.

Optimus fired his cannon, knocking the troopers off of the garage roof. He came to a halt at the door and turned into his robot form, allowing Liara and Kaidan to step out.

"Get the door open quickly," he said.

He switched his path finder to an assault rifle and began firing rounds up at the Predacon, covering Ironhide's drive. Ironhide switched to robot form as well, sending Wrex and Ashley running to the garage door. He and Optimus began shooting at the Predacon, which pulled off fast manoeuvres to dodge the blasts. Liara linked her Omni-tool with the door and cycled through the various locks.

"What's taking so long T'Soni?" Wrex asked.

"This electronic lock is much more advanced than what most corporations use, it's no problem for me though," Liara said.

"Why?"

"Because the program was written by my mother, and I cracked it when I was thirteen," Liara smiled as the doors began to open.

The team and the Autobots hastily entered the garage, just as the Predacon dived towards them. Liara hastily closed the door, jumping back in surprise as the hatch shook. Outside, the Predacon continually slashed at the door and roared before taking off into the sky.

"Hopefully we won't be seeing him on the way back, what now?" Ashley asked.

"Ratchet, can you hear me, SLAG IT!" Ironhide yelled, slamming his fist into the wall.

"If they are alive Ironhide we won't reach them through the storm," Optimus said.

"Primus I hope there's a chance Prahm, for Garrus and Shepard, even for Ratchet I pray that Primus is looking out for them," Ironhide sighed as he walked ahead.

He widened his optics, pointing the team to a section of the wall ahead that had been ripped off. Many of the vehicles had also been destroyed, along with the security drones. Scorch marks left on the walls matched the kind left by Cybertronian weaponry.

"Those seeker mines definitely belonged to Decepticons, they're on this rock," Ironhide said.

Optimus nodded his head as he analysed the section of the wall torn off.

"The passageway is big enough for us to fit through, we'll take this way, Lieutenant Alenko you take your group the usual way," Optimus said.

He and Kaidan exchanged glances, both acknowledging the other.

"This way, Wrex and Liara stay at the back for biotic support, Chief Williams you taken point," he said.

The team moved down their respective paths, directly into the peak 15 facility and the mysteries and threats that awaited them.

* * *

><p>"Primus my audio receptors, make it stop," Arcee snarled.<p>

"Oh I don't know, it's pretty frigging cute," Blaster said.

"Please don't start talking like them Blaster," Jazz said.

The Junkions had long since left the planet, leaving behind a two man salvage ship to check for additional scrap. Wreck-Garr stood at the piloting seat, or what he called the helm, he had repurposed the old controls to resemble and old Earth boat, controlling the speed with a lever and turning the ship with a helm. His crew also played through a stereo system a song that Tali was revelling in.

"Now unmasked, I feel your skin on MIIIIINE!"

"It's so beautiful," one of the crew members said, literally polishing his eyes and sticking them back into his sockets.

"Fleet and Flotilla, I loved that vid as a girl, I can't believe anyone would throw away the soundtrack," Tali said.

"Yeah, that became our new favourite after the Lion King," Wreck-Gar said.

"Take that back captain, nothing beats Lion King," said one of the Junkions.

"Actually I prefer anime songs, they can pop up at any random moment and they make the episodes even more entertaining, like Gurren Lagann's soundtrack," another crew member explained.

"I'd hate to interrupt an awesome conversation but what about Bumblebee and the Protoform?" Jazz asked.

"You mean Hot spot?"

"No its Hot Pot you idiot!"

"Hot Shot," Tali corrected both crew members.

"Your friend without the voice box is stable unfortunately we won't be able to replace his pipes, by the beard of Zeus he picked a bad place to get damaged," Wreck-Garr shivered as he recalled the damage done to the scout. "As for Hot Shot well why don't you go and talk to him yourself?"

Jazz turned to the Protoform, who shuffled away slightly.

"Do you know whom you were originally based on?" Jazz asked.

"I do, but I'm not him," Hot Shot said, looking up at Jazz.

"I can accept that," Jazz smiled.

"Oh by Primus you have to be joking ," Arcee snarled, turning on the gurney to face Jazz."That thing is the spark spawn of a traitor and an insane one at that," she said.

"Arcee that isn't fair, I was briefly part of the all spark, I got a good look at what Indoctrination does first hand," Blaster explained.

"Rodimus regretted everything he did, he said he couldn't help himself but he knows it's hardly an excuse, Cliff Jumper forgave him," Hot Shot explained.

Arcee remained silent, turning away from the Protoform and looking ahead at the path Wreck-Garr was taking. He was taking them to a planet small enough to be considered a moon. From orbit Arcee could see the masses of junk that had been collected and stored on it. Hot Shot walked towards the front end and looked at the planet in awe.

"So that's what a planet looks like from orbit," he said.

"Wait until you see a life giving planet little bot," Jazz smiled, slapping Hot Shot's back.

* * *

><p>The attack had come without warning. Ratchet replayed it over and over in his head and knew that it had to be some kind of miracle he had survived. The creature let him to in midair, slamming him against the slope down the cliff. Quickly transforming to robot form, Ratchet dragged his arm blade against the ice to slow his fall, every metre he told Garrus and Shepard to hold on tight. When he was confident that his legs would hold together he jumped and landed on the ground, cracking it beneath him.<p>

"By the all spark," he muttered, setting both Shepard and Garrus on the ground.

"This isn't a good place to be right now," Garrus muttered, rubbing his arms.

"Wait one moment, Optimus, Ironhide do you hear me?" he asked over the radio.

He then heard the creature screech again, quickly looking up to see the monster in all its glory diving at the mountain path. Transforming to vehicle mode, Ratchet instead opened his back doors.

"Both of you inside now," he said.

Garrus and Shepard didn't need to be told twice, they clambered into the back, sighing in relief as hot air swept over them. Ratchet continued driving through the snow and the ice, keeping an optic on the flames streaming from the monsters mouth.

"A Predacon," he said, identifying the creature as Optimus had.

"What's a Predacon?" Shepard asked.

"Something that belongs in a museum," the medic huffed as he drove down a hill.

"Keep going around the mountain, we might hit a secondary entry point," Shepard said.

"What do you think we'll reach a disposal plant? If the scientists at this facility are smart they'll burn away all their lab waste," Ratchet said.

"Actually they might still have recycling and household garbage, you saying Cybertronians don't have like a recycle old parts system?" Shepard asked.

"Of course, to a point, but if something's broken there's no point in keeping it around, at least that's how it went when the old council ruled. Fortunately some people disagreed and the war has helped us to rethink out viewpoints," Ratchet explained.

"Like Megatron has rethought his?" Garrus asked.

"Well...almost all," the medic sighed as he continued to drive along the path.

'Wait, path, when did I hit a path?' Ratchet wondered.

Shepard and Garrus noticed it as well but remained silent. The ambulance was driving across a path formed by the tracks left by a heavier vehicle. Ratchet followed the makeshift road, looking up at the mountain as he did. He saw energy blasts fly into the clouds and heard the roar of the Predacon.

"Spooky tunnel up ahead, I wonder if the peak 15 workers knew about it," Garrus said.

"Probably just a few people who 'needed to know'," Shepard muttered bitterly.

Ratchet moved on ahead, transforming as they reached a door. Shepard and Garrus looked at the mechanism, it was of Cybertronian design but the opening mechanism was compatible with an Omni-tool. Garrus interfaced with the lock whilst Shepard and Ratchet stood guard.

"You were pretty hard on Ironhide earlier," Shepard said to the medic.

"Have you had this conversation with Ironhide?" Ratchet asked.

"I will, but I wanted to find out what your problem with him is, I already know that he had killed civilians during the first Decepticon uprising," Shepard explained.

"Oh I know that too, and no that isn't why I had a problem with him. My problem with him, with any bot, man or woman or transgendered and monogendered race is when one abandons their principles and gives up. When one chooses to work outside of the system instead of within it to change it for the better!"

"What are you talking about?" Garrus asked.

"After Kaon, Ironhide took another assignment, he didn't actually fight in the first uprising, he took a job guarding the city and instead the job of suppressing the people of Kaon went to Longarm Major. A close comparison would be to say he's Saren without the first hand battle experience and competence, but he knew how to be ruthless and cruel. Over the next few cycles he took aggressive stance after aggressive stance against the people of Kaon, Ironhide killed a few hundred, Longarm killed a few thousand but it suppressed the upstarts so he was rewarded for it. Longarm later became the head of the forces outside of the capital and a chief advisor in the council's defence strategy."

"Had Ironhide stayed, had he stayed the course and not abandoned his duty then he would have been the one to supress the rebellion, with less violent means. Then a hatred between the people of Kaon and the higher classes wouldn't have gotten worse, Ironhide would be the one in charge of defence and troop movements and not Longarm. Ironhide keeps on calling Optimus a Prime, but once upon a time he could have been one to, if he had been he would be the one deciding troop movements and Megatron would have received the help needed to save all of the sparklings that he protected. If it had been Ironhide and not Longarm advising the council then...everything would be different!"

Ratchet hung his head low, perhaps out of disappointment or shame, Shepard couldn't tell. Garrus however could see guilt, he'd seen it on the faces of people he had arrested and he saw it in Ratchet.

"Doors unlocked," he said as he opened the door.

The door slid open, revealing a dark icy cavern.

"Well who wants to go into the dark and spooky tunnel first, I vote the giant robot with a pair of big blades," Garrus said.

Shepard shook her head as she drew her pistol and walked down the tunnel.

"For what it's worth I agree with you Ratchet, things would be different had Ironhide chosen to stay in the elite guard. But who's to say it would be better? Or that he even would have made a difference at all?" Garrus asked.

The Turian blinked in confusion as Ratchet too shook his head.

* * *

><p>Though the main ship had left, a pair of Junkions and their shuttle remained, combing the planetoid for parts worth taking. Their shuttle was packed to the brim with what some may have called useless junk. But the Junkions wasted nothing and they lived free, answerable to no government. The only law amongst them was to have fun where possible and live only on what was free or abandoned. That included the corpses of the Cybertronian dead. There was no burial or funerals for the Cybertronians, there were memorials but no tombs. The bottom of the cliff had become the makeshift tomb of Cybertron's greatest warrior, a corpse the two Junkions were eager to pillage.<p>

"Do you remember his fight with that spiky bot, what was his name?" one of the Junkions, a bot whose legs had been replaced with tank tracks

"I know who you mean, that was kind of quick though, not a good showcase of his fighting skills," the other Junkion said, he was as tall as Bumblebee and had gears exposed on his back.

"I think it showcased them perfectly, he's brutal, savage and merciless," the track bot chuckled.

"Yeah but what about his last fight, that was an awe inspiring spectacle, and a victor was never decided."

"Cause they both stopped fighting, triggering a war that cost me my legs, I think I'd rather they're both ripped one another apart," the track bot and his friend froze as they saw where the pile of rocks had formed.

Sticking out of the rocks was an arm, the grey paint on it scratched and the fingers lifeless. The bot with the gears let out a sigh of awe, as if he had come upon a sacred treasure. The need to take such a treasure overcame the bot with the tracks, who rolled towards the pile. He clapped his hands together and laughed in celebration.

"Once we strip this down and haul it home we'll be famous, I hope his legs are intact, cause I need a new pair, and I think this one owes me...what's that Megatron? You completely agree? Well consider it a deal," the bot grasped Megatron's hand with his own and shook it.

He and his friend laughed, an applause that was cut short when they saw the fingers move. The track bot gasped as the grip on his hand tightened. His fingers were suddenly crushed, causing the bot to yell out. He continued screaming as Cybertron's greatest warrior rose from his grave, lifting the scavenger over his head. Megatron savagely roared as he ripped the Junkions arms off and dropped him to the floor. The Junkion tried to reverse back, but Megatron squashed his left tracking.

"He chose poorly when he disrespected the dead," Megatron said as he walked towards the other Junkion.

"You've got a blaster Gears, he's damaged, you can take him," the Junkion said.

Megatron turned and grabbed the bot's head. The warlord yanked the scavengers head off and threw it into the desert. He then turned to the remaining scavenger, looking at the pistol strapped to the bot's hip. It was a home made one, put together quite elegantly with a grey chassis, a black barrel and a black scope.

"As I said he chose poorly, you however can still make the right choice, I have need of a ship, if you let me go on my way I will be willing to recruit you into..." Megatron never finished his sentence, as a purple beam flew into his chest.

The Junkion stood holding the pistol, and staring at the insignificant scorch he had put in Megatron's armour. Megatron looked at the scorch mark and then down at the bot. His stern expression of disappointment turned to one of annoyed fury. The Junkion let off a few more shots before his screams echoed through the air.

Next Chapter 22: Corporate projects

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><p>You all guessed it, Megatron's still ticking and he'll be out for revenge. Honestly this scene was my favourite part of the chapter, sometimes a villain's defeat can be bitterly disappointing and then boom, he makes a comeback.<p>

Wreck-Garr voice actor: Will Ferrell, a man who needs no introduction, whenever Wreck-Gar speaks I just imagine the over the top humour that the Anchorman himself can portray, but still have his calm moments.

Hot Shot: Will Friedle (Terry McGinnis Batman Beyond, Bumblebee Transformers Prime and Robots in disguise, Lion-O Thundercats reboot) I thought he could best portray the youth and inexperience of Hotshot as well as his potential to be a jump first hot head or a capable leader.

Next time Shepard's team dive into the mysteries of peak 15.


End file.
